Some people are very observant and miss almost nothing. They may be on the proverbial sidelines, but little escapes them; they know very well what’s going on around them. People like that can be very useful when the police are investigating a crime. Even if they didn’t see what happened, they very often know the people, the area, and so on, and can give valuable information. Life’s observers can also be useful characters in a crime novel. They can add an interesting perspective to a story, to say nothing of the information they may have.
For example, in Agatha Christie’s Three Act Tragedy, a group of people is invited to a sherry party at the home of famous actor Sir Charles Cartwright. At the party, Reverend Stephen Babbington suddenly collapses and dies of what turns out to be poison. Hercule Poirot attended the party and is persuaded to investigate. One of the guests, playwright Muriel Wills, is of particular interest. Poirot quickly notes that she is a very observant person, who likely saw more than it may have seemed. Before Poirot has the chance to solve the crime, there’s another murder, also at a cocktail party. This time, the victim is Harley Street specialist Dr. Bartholomew Strange. As it happens, Muriel Wills was at that party, too, and again, Poirot seeks out her observations. In fact, without spoiling the story, I can say that Miss Wills’ observations play a role in the novel.
In Martha Grimes’ The Anodyne Necklace, we are introduced to crime novelist Polly Praed. She lives in the village of Littlebourne where not a lot happens. Then one day, a dog finds the bone of a human finger, and Inspector Richard Jury is called in to investigate. One important step is to try to find the rest of the body that goes with the finger. When that body is discovered, it’s identified as Cora Binns, who had come to Littlebourne for a job interview, but never made it to the appointment. As Jury and his friend Melrose Plant look into the case, they meet Polly, and find out that she is a very observant person. She didn’t witness the murder, but she knows everyone in town, she spends her share of time looking out the window to see the world go by, and she misses almost nothing. Her insights turn out to be helpful to the case.
Andrea Camilleri’s Salvo Montalbano is a police detective in fictional Vigàta, in Sicily. He’s lived there all his life, and he knows a lot of the people who live in the area. One of them is Gegè Gullatto. In fact, Montalbano and Gullatto went to school together. Now, they’re on opposite sides of the law. Gullatto has several ‘business enterprises’ and more or less runs a notorious part of town called the Pasture, where drugs and sex are sold, and where people sometimes go when they want to sample the illegal life. Gullatto is observant – he has to be – and notices much of what goes on around him. So, he is often useful to Montalbano. He knows who comes to the Pasture, who has a reputation to protect, and so on. He and Montalbano have an agreement: he gives Montalbano the benefit of his observation; in return, Montalbano and his team look the other way when it comes to Gullatto’s ‘business transactions.’
Mari Strachen’s The Earth Hums in B Flat is the story of twelve-year-old Gwenni Morgan. She lives in a small 1950s Welsh village where everyone knows everyone. Gwenni is a bit of a dreamer, but that doesn’t mean she’s oblivious. One day, Ifan Evans goes missing. Gwenni knows the family; she’s babysat for them. So, she takes an interest in what happened. As she looks for answers, we see how she tries to make sense of some of the things she learns about the Evans family, and even about herself and her own family. She notices more than people think she does, and as the novel goes on, she makes use of what she’s noticed to make sense of things.
Ivy Pochoda’s Visitation Street takes place in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn. One hot summer night, June Giatto and Valerie ‘Val’ Marino decide to take a raft ride on the bay near their home. The next morning, Val is found, hurt but alive, and rushed to the hospital. June has disappeared, and there’s an all-out search for her. The police are called in, and there’s a major public appeal for information. Val is, of course, a person of great interest, but she says she doesn’t know what happened to June. In fact, she’s devastated by her loss. And there are other people who could have been involved. One person who knows a lot of people in the area is a Lebanese bodega owner named Fadi. In his way, he considers himself Red Hook’s caretaker, so he pays attention to everything and misses little. He knows everyone and everyone knows him. So, as the novel goes on, his insights give the reader a helpful perspective on the area and the people who live there.
And that’s the thing about observers. They notice things that others don’t always see. They often know the people involved in a case and may have a lot to offer. So, sleuths do well to find out who those observers are and tap their knowledge.
*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from the Beatles’ The Fool on the Hill.
Crime Writer Margot Kinberg 
I love Three Act Tragedy. It is one of my favorite Hercule Poirot mysteries. Someday I will have to make a list. I have enjoyed mysteries in the Inspector Richard Jury series and the Montalbano series in the past.
I have often envied people who notice so much. I would be one of those witnesses who did not notice a thing, especially car color or make. The only mystery I can point out with this element is the TV show Psych, where Shawn was taught by his father to notice all the details, everywhere he went.
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Psych is a good example of the sort of thing I had in mind with this post, Tracy. And I think it’s interesting that Shaun was taught to notice details. I wonder if it’s people’s custom to do that anyway, or if we do have to be taught how to do it. Hmm…interesting… As for Three Act Tragedy, I like it very much, too. Christie does some fine plotting in that novel, and I know the first time I read it, I was completely misled – in a good way. I need to get back to the Richard Jury mysteries; I haven’t read each one and I’m wondering what I’d think of them.
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The Earth Hums in B Flat is such an unusual novel. It’s a few years since I read it but I remember being really quite taken with it. The bit player in books who sees all is always an interesting trope I find.
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I agree, Cath, that The Earth Hums… is unusual; for me, anyway, that was a big part of the appeal of the story. That and the lovely Welsh setting. And I think you’re right about the bit player who sees all. That character can add a lot to a story!
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Anthony Gilbert’s spinsters are wonderful snoops. Three Act Tragedy is on my to be re-read list as I have forgotten everything about it.
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Thank you for mentioning Gilbert, Neeru; That’s a very good example that I left out. They are delightful, aren’t they? As for the Christie, in my opinion, Christie’s almost always worth a (re)read, and Three Act Tragedy is clever.
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Those eye-witnesses are so useful, particularly when they’re fluffy old ladies who nobody takes any notice of… It can be useful being an invisible older woman!!
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Haha! It certainly can, KBR! It’s just those fluffy, gardening, knitting types that so often see more than anyone imagines. And they put the pieces together. Where would we be without them?
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A Voice in the Night by Andrea Camilleri also features an observant, perhaps nosy, local whose constant observation outside her apartment is useful to Montalbano. I wish I had noted the name. Where would real life and fictional police be without the obsessively observing neighbour.
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Thanks for mentioning A Voice in the Night, Bill. I really do like the Montalbano series, and that’s exactly the sort of character I was thinking of when I wrote this post. As you say where would the police be without insights from the observant!
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Funny you wrote about this topic, Margot. A friend and I were just discussing the younger generation who keep their focus on their phones. They’re missing the beauty that surrounds them! What a shame.
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You have a good point, Sue. It’s hard to be really observant if one’s constantly staring at a phone. We miss so much – sometimes vital things – when we don’t look around and pay attention. And you’re right; there’s a lot of beauty to be seen if you just look.
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I loved Visitation St, but had forgotten all about it, I’m glad you reminded me. I must look to see what else Ivy Pochada has written.
And I always love a visual clue and a keen observer! We’d all like to be like that wouldn’t we?
And think of our old friend Anne Bedingfeld from Agatha Christie’s Man in the Brown Suit – she can recognize people from the shape of their skulls, she automatically notices the proportions of them!
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I haven’t read more from Ivy Pochoda either, Moira, although I’d like to. I need to look her work up. And in fiction, yes, visual clues and observant people add a lot to a story. Sometimes I think, ‘Why didn’t I notice that!’ It would be nice to be more observant.
Thanks for mentioning Anne Bedingfield, too. She’s a great character, isn’t she? And her ability to identify people by their skull shape was a great Christie innovation, I think..
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I think an observer if expertly woven into a crime novel can really elevate it as your examples suggest. It’s writing him/her into the story subtly and then making them a POI character that requires skill imo. But practice makes perfect.
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That’s quite true, OP. An observer has to be written in subtly and effectively, or the story doesn’t seem authentic, at least as I see it. But when it’s done well, that sort of character can be very effective.
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