Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

Whether it’s a real-life crime or a fictional one, it usually takes more than one person’s expertise to solve it. And that makes sense, when you consider that police detectives and PIs don’t know everything and can’t be everywhere at once. That’s why most police procedural stories, films, and TV shows (at least the ones that are reasonably realistic) portray a group of people who solve a case. Courtroom dramas are the same way. One lawyer cannot easily prepare a case, especially a difficult one. If we look at crime fiction, we see a similar thing, even in Golden Age and classic crime fiction.

For instance, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant detective. But he doesn’t really solve cases alone. For one thing, he relies on Dr. Watson to be his ‘eyes and ears’ at times (e.g. The Hound of the Baskervilles). He delegates jobs to other people, too, such as the Baker Street Irregulars. That’s a group of boys, mostly street urchins, who can go places and witness things because no-one pays much attention to them. They’re often quite helpful in bringing information to Holmes.

Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot may have a very high opinion of himself as a detective (he is, after all, brilliant). But he also knows when to rely on someone else to do things or get information. Sometimes Captain Hastings helps. And sometimes, someone else does. For instance, in Murder in Mesopotamia, Poirot investigates the murder of Louise Leidner. She and her husband, noted archaeologist Eric Leidner, were at an excavation site a few hours from Baghdad. One afternoon, she is killed and her body found in her room. She’d been having some fears and anxieties, so her husband hired Nurse Amy Leatheran to look after her. Poirot finds that, while she’s far from perfect, Nurse Leatheran is quite helpful. She has a solid nurse’s training, which is useful. She also has some insights into the people at the dig site, and Poirot uses that information, too. (I know, fans of 4:50 From Paddington. Miss Marple gets quite a bit of help from Lucy Eyelesbarrow).

Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe doesn’t leave his home unless it’s absolutely necessary. And, as clever a detective as he is, he can’t solve cases without finding out things. That’s where his staff of detectives comes in. Most readers think immediately of Archie Goodwin, and he does play a major role in solving cases. But Wolfe also relies on Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin, and Orrie Cather. All three of them do plenty of ‘legwork’ for Wolfe, and provide him with background information, letters and documents, and other things he needs to solve cases. They even find witnesses and bring them to Wolfe. Fans know, of course, that Wolfe isn’t always outwardly grateful to his staff. But he knows that he can’t do his job without them.

Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason is a highly successful lawyer. He has no need to seek out business; clients come to him. He’s a smart lawyer, too, and knows many strategies to support his clients. But he doesn’t win cases alone. For one thing, there’s his ever-faithful assistant, Della Street. Not only does she serve as his secretary/receptionist, but she also does quite a bit of information-gathering. For another, there’s Paul Drake, who has his own PI agency. He does work with other PI clients, but he does a lot of work for Mason. Drake and his men follow people, gather background information, and other tasks that Mason couldn’t easily do for himself. Mason knows he depends on them, too, and while he’s hardly one to gush, he is grateful. Other fictional lawyers also rely on what they learn from PI firms and others to help them prepare their cases.

Alexander McCall Smith’ Mma Precious Ramotswe owns a detective agency in Gabarone, Botswana. At the beginning of the series, it’s just Mma Ramotswe herself, trying to get new clients and establish her business. Soon enough, she’s joined by Grace Makutsi, who starts as a secretary. It’s not long, though, before Mma Ramotswe begins to depend on Mma Makutsi for information and help. In fact, as the series goes on, Mma Makutsi becomes a detective in her own right, and is essential to the good functioning of the agency. Mma. Ramotswe also relies on help from Mr Polopetsi, her part-time assistant. He is actually a teacher of chemistry, but he also does work for the agency and proves helpful. Sometimes, Mma Ramotswe even gets help from Mma Silvia Potokwani, who runs the local orphanage. Mma Ramotswe knows that she can’t solve everything by herself, and that she relies on other people.

And that’s the thing about solving cases – especially difficult ones. Nobody can really solve a case alone. In real life (and realistic fiction), it takes help and expertise from a number of people. And in a series, those people can become interesting, even beloved, characters.

*NOTE: The title of this post is the title of a song by John Kander and Fred Ebbs.