In the world of mysteries, the sidekick may serve any number of roles. From Dr. Watson narrating the Sherlock Holmes stories to Robert B. Parker’s Hawk doing dirty work in the Spenser series, sidekicks come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. Everyone has their favorite and numerous polls have tried to determine who readers consider the best crime-fiction sidekick.
Many readers, I among them, cannot seem to carry on reading an otherwise good mystery if they cannot relate to or like the protagonist of the piece. Is this bad news for authors? Perhaps not, although as each reader is a critic with decidedly individual preferences, we all make allowances when intrigued. A character that would be difficult to live with might just have saving graces when it comes to solving crimes and saving the day, and we do tend to appreciate genius in its many forms. We also delight in the process of detection winding its way through a killer plot concluding with some degree of resolution.
