Here is our selection of the 100 (actually 111) best hard
boiled characters. Although there are several many of us
would not consider hard boiled, most of our ballots had a
large majority of characters who made it into the top 111. Of
those who voted for twenty characters, the Mark Sullivan
award for having the most ideosyncratic ballot goes to Colin
who as of this afternoon voted for only eight characters who
made it into the best 111. I don't think the results would
have been greatly affected by not having a secret ballot. We
had over 50 write ins so the voters could hardly be
considered intimidated. I think being able to see who others
voted for led to more interest. I doubt we would have come
close to the 73 voters we had if we had not had everybody
reveal for whom he or she voted.
Of those authors who had more than three characters in the
best 111, Dashiell Hammett had six characters and Walter
Mosley, George Pelecanos, Jim Thompson, Charles Willeford,
and James Ellroy had four apiece. Of those characters that
debuted in the 90's Easy Rawlins and Harry Bosch received the
most votes.
The best 111:
1. Philip Marlowe (series, Raymond Chandler)- 56 2. Sam Spade
(THE MALTESE FALCON, Dashiell Hammett) - 51 3. The
Continental Op (series, Dashiell Hammett) - 43 4. Lew Archer
(series, Ross Macdonald) - 36 5T. Matthew Scudder (series,
Lawrence Block) -33 5T. Parker (series, Richard Stark) - 33
7. Travis McGee (series, John D. MacDonald) - 31 8. Easy
Rawlins (series, Walter Mosley) - 29 9. Harry aka Hieronymus
Bosch (series, Michael Connelly) - 28 10. Hoke Moseley
(series, Charles Willeford) - 25 11. Lou Ford (KILLER INSIDE
ME and WILD TOWN, Jim Thompson) - 23 12. Mike Hammer (series,
Mickey Spillane) - 19 13. Matt Helm (series, Donald Hamilton)
- 18 14T. . Dave Robicheaux (series, James Lee Burke) - 16
14T. Nick Stefanos (series, George Pelecanos) - 16 14T.
Coffin Ed Johnson & Gravedigger Jones (series, Chester
Himes) - 16 14T. C. W. Shugrue (series, James Crumley) - 16
14T. Hap Collins & Leonard Pine (Hap & Leonard
series, Joe R. Lansdale) - 16 14T. Nameless (series, Bill
Pronzini) - 16 14T. John Rebus (series, Ian Rankin) - 16 14T.
Mouse (Easy Rawlins series, Walter Mosley) - 16 22. Spenser
(series, Robert Parker) - 15 23. Eddie Coyle (THE FRIENDS OF
EDDIE COYLE, George V. Higgins) - 14 24. Brigid O'Shaughnessy
(THE MALTESE FALCON, Dashiell Hammett) - 13 25. V.I.
Warshawski (series, Sara Paretsky) - 12 26T. Dudley Smith
(L.A. QUARTET series and CLANDESTINE, James Ellroy) - 11 26T.
Paul Pine (Halo series, Howard Browne) - 11 26T. Dimitri
Karras (series, George Pelecanos) - 11 26T. Arkady Renko
(series, Martin Cruz Smith) - 11 30T. Hanson (NIGHT DOGS
& SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL Kent Anderson) - 10 30T. Burke
(series, Andrew Vachss) - 10 30T. Ned Beaumont (THE GLASS
KEY, Dashiell Hammett) - 10 30T. Artie Wu & Quincy Durant
(series, Ross Thomas) -10 30T. Tom Ripley (series, Patricia
Highsmith) - 10 30T. Hawk (Spenser series, Robert Parker) -
10 36T. Amos Walker (series, Loren D. Estleman) - 9
36T.Kinsey Millhone (series, Sue Grafton) - 9 36T. Steve
Carella (87th Precinct series, Evan "Ed" McBain) - 9 36T.
George Smiley (series, John Le Carre) - 9 36T. James Bond
(series, Ian Fleming) - 9 41T. Jack Reacher (series, Lee
Child) - 8 41T. Earl Drake (Operation series, Dan J. Marlowe)
- 6 41T.Bill Crane (series, Jonothan Latimer) - 8 41T. Keller
(HIT MAN and HIT LIST, Lawrence Block) - 8 41T. Frank
Chambers (THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, James M. Cain) - 8
41T. Frederick J. Frenger, Jr. (MIAMI BLUES, Charles
Willeford) - 8 41T. Dan Kearny (DKA series, Joe Gores) - 8
41T. Hannibal Lecter (series, Thomas Harris) - 8 41T. Batman
(comics/novels series, various authors) 8 41T. Chili Palmer
(GET SHORTY and BE COOL, Elmore Leonard) - 8 51T. Martin Beck
(series, Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo) - 7 51T. Lucas Davenport
(Prey series, John Sandford) - 7 51T. Doc McCoy (GETAWAY, Jim
Thompson) - 7 51T. Peter Bondurant (UNDERWORLD USA trilogy,
James Ellroy) - 7 51T. Harry Lime (THE THIRD MAN, Graham
Greene) - 7 51T. Buzz Meeks (BIG NOWHERE, James Ellroy) - 7
51T. Dan Turner (Hollywood Detective series, Robert Leslie
Bellem) - 7 51T. Milo Milodragovitch (series, James Crumley)
- 7 51T. Lew Griffin (series, James Sallis) - 7 51T. Mario
Balzic (series, K.C. Constantine) - 7 61T. Charlie Resnick
(series, John Harvey) - 6 61T. Jack Carter (series, Ted
Lewis) - 6 61T. Clete Purcell (Dave Robicheaux series, James
Lee Burke) -6 61T. Max Latin (short stories, Norbert Davis) -
6 61T. Lloyd Hopkins (series, James Ellroy) - 6 61T. Joe
Friday (Dragnet series, various authors) - 6 61T. Shell Scott
(series, Richard S. Prather) -6 61T.Nate Heller (series, Max
Alan Collins) - 6 61T. Nick Corey (POP 1280 - Jim Thompson) 6
61T. Nick & Nora Charles (THE THIN MAN, Dashiell Hammett)
- 6 71T. Marcus Clay (series, George Pelecanos) - 5 71T.
Socrates Fortlow (series, Walter Mosley) - 5 71T. Richard
Bone (CUTTER AND BONE, Newton Thornburg) - 5 71T. Detective
Sergeant Department of Unexplained Deaths (Factory series, D
Raymond) - 5 71T. Elvis Cole (series, Robert Crais) - 5 71T.
Walter Huff (DOUBLE INDEMNITY, James M Cain) - 5 71T. James
Figueras( Burnt Orange Heresy, Charles Willeford) - 5 71T.
Casper Gutman (THE MALTESE FALCON, Dashiell Hammett) - 5 71T.
Mike Shayne(series, "Brett Halliday" Dresser, many others) -
5 71T. Frank Clemons (trilogy, Thomas Cook) - 5 71T. Sharon
McCone (series, Marcia Muller) - 5 71T. Race Williams/Terry
Mack (series, Carroll John Daly) - 5 71T. John Shaft( series,
Ernest Tidyman) - 5 71T. Dave Brandstetter (series, Joseph
Hansen) - 5 71T. Jack Liffey (series, John Shannon) - 5 71T.
Perry Mason (series, Erle Stanley Gardner) - 5 87T. Bernie
Gunther(series, Philip Kerr) - 4 87T. Joe Gall (series,
Philip Atlee) - 4 87T. Jonathan Hemlock (EIGER SANCTION and
LOO SANCTION, Trevanian) - 4 87T. Kells (FAST ONE, Paul Cain)
- 4 87T. Joe Pike (Elvis Cole series, Robert Crais) - 4 87T.
Fast Eddie Felson (THE HUSTLER and COLOR OF MONEY, Walter
Tevis) - 4 87T. Bob Lee Swagger (series, Steven Hunter) - 4
87T. Cora Papadakis (THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, James M.
Cain) 87T. Roy Dillon (THE GRIFTERS, Jim Thompson) - 4 87T.
Eva Wylie (BUCKET NUT, Liza Cody) - 4 87T. Ed and Am Hunter
(Fredric Brown) - 4 87T. Skink a.k.a. The Governor (recurring
character, Carl Hiassen) - 4 87. Derek Strange (series,
George Pelecanos) -4 87T. Lionel Essrog (MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN,
Jonathan Lethem) - 4 87T. Charlie Arglist (THE ICE HARVEST,
Scott Phillips) - 4 87T. Richard Hudson (WOMAN CHASER,
Charles Willeford) - 4 87T. Ernest Stickney (STICK and SWAG,
Elmore Leonard) - 4 87T. John Marshall Tanner (series,
Stephen Greenleaf) - 4 87T. Marion "Doc" Ford (series, Randy
Wayne White) - 4 87T. Jay Gatsby (THE GREAT GATSBY, F. Scott
Fitzgerald) - 4 87T. Dick Tracy (newspaper strip, Chester
Gould) - 4 87T. Mick Ballou (series, Lawrence Block) - 4 87T.
Quiller (series, Adam Hall) - 4 87T. Deputy Detective Carl
Houseman (series, Donald Harstad) - 4 87T. Mmaigret (series,
Georges Simenon) - 4
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