20 Greatest Fictional Female Detectives and Sleuths

While mysteries featuring any gendered protagonist are interesting, women often bring something special to the table. It can be their cunning, their personal experiences, or just their ability to seem matronly and innocent when they are actually a master sleuth. All these reasons and more make women more interesting to a story than a male sleuth. Here is a list, in no particular order, of some of the best female detectives in TV, film, and literature.

Jessica Fletcher

Jessica was played by Angela Lansbury on the CBS television show “Murder She Wrote” between 1984 and 1996, and was the ultimate detective. She wrote murder who-done-its by profession, but always seemed to stumble into murder investigations as well; whether while travelling extensively around the country, or at home in Cabot Cove, Maine. Widowed some years ago, Jessica has a cadre of friends, relatives, and acquaintances who keep her busy when she isn’t stopping murderers. Jessica is a great detective not only because she deduces clues based on happenstance and observation, but because she is a witty and interesting person with a penchant for the macabre.

Nancy Drew

Nancy Drew is one of the most famous girl detectives, and for good reason. Nancy first appeared in 1930 in a series of mystery novels written by various people under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene. Since that initial series Nancy has been revamped various times for everything from seventies TV series to made-for-TV movies and modern book series. The version of the books I read as a little girl was the revised 1959 versions, bound in yellow with hand drawn covers. Nancy is a great detective, who often uncovers stolen objects or missing people with the help of her female friends Bess and George, her boyfriend Ned, or her father, Carson. She is headstrong, smart, and a major sleuth, making her an optimal role model for young girls.

Veronica Mars

The character was originally played by Kristen Bell in the UPN/CW television show of the same name, which was created by Rob Thomas. Bell would go on to portray the character in a movie of the same name in 2014, and Thomas has gone on to write two novels with the female detective published in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Veronica starts as a teen PI, using the resources of her father’s firm to investigate crimes at her high school, which range from stolen goods to her own sexual assault. Veronica is sarcastic, resourceful, and super smart, making her not only a great detective but a figure most people would love to emulate.

Dr. Temperance Brennan

The character was created by real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs in her series of novels, but is most famous for appearing on the TV show “Bones.” She is played by Emily Deschanel, and is most characterized as a cold and impersonal scientist who solves crimes using her scientific acumen and physical abilities. Her partner Seeley is much more impressed with intuition and good solid police work. Dr. Brennan is a great detective because she utilizes the medical field to solve both new and old mysteries and does it because she cares about the victims of crimes ranging from murder to genocide.

Trixie Belden

Another in the girl detective oeuvre, Beatrix “Trixie” Belden solves crimes with the help of her friend Honey Wheeler, or the group the Bob-Whites of the Glen. While Nancy Drew is much more mature and older, Trixie is still a girl, and so much of her troubles stem from school, minor adventures, and general shenanigans. Her series ran from 1948-1986 and her mysteries often deal in missing property, missing people, and also feature travels by the Belden clan. Trixie is a strong-willed yet young presence who solves mysteries with solid deduction and skill.

Olivia Benson

While many female detectives get their man by pure observation, Olivia Benson utilizes a realistic set of procedures and police work. Played by Mariska Hargitay on “Law and Order: SUV” since 1998, Olivia is seen as a compassionate, powerful female hero who works for victim rights. She is the product of rape, and her mother dies from falling down some stairs due to her alcoholism. Olivia later adopts a son and leads the SUV squad after Captain Cragen’s retirement. She is one of the strongest women on television and is a great detective who tracks leads, interviews perps, and has been a part of multiple hostage negotiation efforts.

Brenda Leigh Johnson

Another strong female who deals in realistic crime is Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. Johnson was played by Kyra Sedgewick on the TNT show “The Closer” between 2005-2012. Many of the mysteries that she deals in have to do with the Los Angeles setting of the show, meaning they involve gang violence, drugs, human trafficking, and corruption. Johnson is seen as a disorganized, often neurotic mess when it comes to her personal life, but is a surefire investigator and boss who always goes for the jugular in the interrogation room.

Miss Marple

Jane Marple was created by the enigmatic Agatha Christie in a series of twelve novels and twenty short stories. Miss. Marple is a shrewd intellectual who always sees the negative side of humanity, and relates snatches of conversation to cases that she is working on. Her greatest characteristic is her advanced age, which often means she is disparaged by relatives and acquaintances alike, which makes it easy for her to make herself at home with everyone from townspeople to aristocracy. Between her intellectualism and relationship with a retired police commissioner Miss. Marple solves crime often and easily.

Velma Dinkley

While the entire Scooby gang gets the credit for unmasking the baddie, we can all agree it’s Velma that does the bulk of the work. Between her shrewd intellectualism and deduction skills, she often finds the culprit and solves the case. In many of the modern iterations she becomes a scientist or writer, and is seen as the brain of the group. Though she often losses her glasses she is anything but forgetful, and is an integral part of solving these crimes.

Cagney and Lacey

While these two characters are completely different I put them together because they are primarily a team. “Cagney and Lacey” was a police procedural TV show that ran on CBS from 1982-1988 and featured actresses Tyne Daly and Sharon Glass. The characters are very different as Cagney is a single, career-minded woman and Lacey is a married working mother. The show is set in Manhattan and features storylines that cover everything from murder to gambling rings and sex crimes. It was a show that dealt with true female issues, as well as crime in New York, something ill seen in the world of media.

Dana Scully

The supernatural show “The X-Files” of course needed a skeptic to offset the obvious weirdness of aliens, shift-shapers, and in-bred murderous clans. Dana Scully saw everything as the partner of Mulder, and throughout she conducted herself with professionalism and skepticism. She solved some crimes and uncovered giant conspiracies as well. Scully remained the backbone of the show throughout its nine seasons, and subsequent movies, and showed that being an FBI agent is more than solving crimes, it’s opening your mind.

Lisbeth Salander

Originally created by author Stieg Larsson, Salander is a private investigator who works independently for large firms. She is a rape survivor, a troubled woman in general, and a master sleuth who works with publisher Mikael Blomkvist in the book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Lisbeth would go on to star in two more books, “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” and is played by Rooney Mara in the American film, and Noomi Rapace in the Swedish version. Salander is best known for her appearance, which includes the eponymous dragon tattoo, but she is also a great detective because she is a computer hacker who finds classified information for clients not seen before. She is talented, intelligent, and mysterious in the best of ways.

Charlie’s Angels

“Charlie’s Angels” ran on ABC from 1976-1981. The original premise saw three police academy graduates turned meter maid, crossing guard, and office worker recruited to a private investigation firm by Charles Townsend. Sabrina, Jill, and Kelly spent a great season travelling the world and solving crime. Most of the time the trio was too busy kicking ass and taking names to do have anything to do with observation or down and dirty police work, but occasionally they would have to do reconnaissance, go undercover, or interrogate suspects to get their man. Farrah Fawcett was replaced by Cheryl Ladd in season two, and the show later became a revolving door of new casting for the rest of its run.

Jane Tennison

Helen Mirren starred as Tennison in the UK based police procedural “Prime Suspect” for fifteen episodes. Starting as a Detective Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police Service of London, Tennison not only collared criminals but fought against the institutionalized sexism of the position she held. Tennison is a focused, ambitious, and talented detective who battles through the London Police Service as a professional woman. Much of the character of Brendan Leigh Johnson can be attributed to Jane Tennison’s fight for equality and her skill in the field, making her one of the first realistic detectives in television history.

Stephanie Plum

The character was originated by author Janet Evanovitch, starting with the book “One for the Money.” So far she has appeared in 22 books and one film starring Katherine Heigl. Stephanie Plum is a female bounty hunter who often has to find her man by solving crimes, sometimes relating to her own safety. She gets help from a cadre of supporting characters who either work in her cousin’s bail bondsman office, or on the force. She is mostly inexperienced, having been a lingerie buyer beforehand, and she is terrible with money and laying off the sweets, yet still she gets the job done time and time again.

Maddie Hayes

The show “Moonlighting” is best known for being a romantic dramedy starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as partners in a private investigation firm. Maddie Hayes is a former model bankrupted and left as the owner of a PI firm run by David Addison, a scruffy yet charming detective. Together they solve crimes, Maddie often being the comic relief in early episodes, usually putting herself in danger. Their banter is very Hawksian, and takes up the bulk of episodes, the mystery usually being a MacGuffin that throws them together. The mysteries ranged from stolen property, to murder, and blackmail. Maddie often contributes with sure guile and gumption, like Nick and Norah from Hammet’s “Thin Man.”

Rizzoli & Isles

Another female team of investigators, Rizzoli is the actual police detective, while Isles is a medical examiner. Together they form a team and solve murders in Boston, involving serial killers and regular murders alike. The characters are based on a series of books by author Tess Gerritsen and are similar to the show, including Rizzoli’s relationship with serial killer Hoyt. The show is known for the banter and female friendship of the two main characters, though they are completely different. Angie Harmon plays Rizzoli as a tough but cordial Boston detective, and Isles is more academic and yet friendly, creating an even balance in tone between the two leads.

Precious Ramotswe

Alexander McCall Smith introduced us to Precious in his series of books “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.” She is portrayed by Jill Scott in the HBO series of the same name. Mma Precious runs the agency in the town of Gaborone, which is the capital of Botswana. Precious’ cases often hinge on many socio-political issues in Botswana, including feminism, domestic abuse, urbanity versus modernity, AIDS, Christianity, and morality versus ethics. Precious is a rotund, cheery, quite young woman who engages with a solid cast of characters and solves mysteries to do with missing persons, poisonings, and cheating husbands. Precious, though inexperienced, is a straight shooter who finds common ground easily and works off her surefire wiles and solid investigative work.

Clarice Starling

Agent Starling was originally created by author Thomas Harris in his books “The Silence of the Lambs,” and “Hannibal,” which was each turned into films of the same name. She was played by Jodie Foster in the former, and Julianne Moore in the latter film. Clarice is an FBI Academy student who has a background in psychology and criminology from the University of Virginia. She has a troubled life, and bonds with serial killer Hannibal Lecter after interviewing him in prison, while searching for serial killer Buffalo Bill. Starling is assertive, controlled, and strong, using her skills to solve crime and get the information she needs from Lecter. She uses Lecter’s clues to find out Buffalo Bill’s identity, and reveals herself to be a prime detective among the ranks of the FBI. Starling was ranked sixth in the AFI’s list of 100 Heroes.

Dr. Joan Watson

Lucy Liu portrays the revamped Watson in CBS’ “Elementary,” a show which pairs her with Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock Holmes, a drug addict and former liaison with Scotland Yard, who works with the NYPD and Watson on major cases. Dr. Watson is a former surgeon and current sober companion who helps in cases and works as Holmes’ apprentice. She sometimes works independently from Holmes, and is seen in her own right as a great private investigator. Her medical skills often help in finding the perp and her skills of deduction and observation often come in handy.