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.