Say that Citizen Kane really wanted to find Rosebud - who would he call? Is there a kind of specific person who tracks down these personal lost things? [more inside]
posted by rileyray3000 on Oct 14, 2009 - 3 answers

Super vague and obscure comicy question: Help me remember this steampunk/gothic/noir graphic-novel type story from the 1980's. [more inside]
posted by washburn on Oct 4, 2009 - 6 answers

The Adventures of the Black Hand Gang, are there other books that are similar? [more inside]
posted by dejah420 on Jul 30, 2009 - 10 answers

It's summertime and that means detective stories. I've read ALL of Simenon, Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot), Dorothy Sayers, John Sandford, Denise Hamilton, Lee Child, Edward Wright, Henning Mankell. Tried but didn't like Tony Hillerman. Any suggestions for another engaging series? Thanks.
posted by holdenjordahl on Jun 8, 2009 - 63 answers

Are there any real-life Sherlock Holmeses, Hercule Poirots, or Adrian Monks? [more inside]
posted by Ms. Saint on Dec 3, 2008 - 10 answers

I am trying to find the title of this film I remember scantily from my childhood. I do remember belly-laughing at this film when I was a kid, but can't remember for the life of me more than just a few details. Here's what I know (or think I remember)... [more inside]
posted by jspierre on Mar 22, 2008 - 5 answers

Police procedural/gumshoe, sandbox games? [more inside]
posted by Happy Dave on Jan 14, 2008 - 8 answers

I need to read something in Spanish. I want excellent writing, with involving plots, and it must be in print. Good detective fiction perhaps? [more inside]
posted by andrew cooke on Aug 6, 2007 - 22 answers

Lots of programs allow you to create system wide hotkeys, or identify hotkeys in shortcuts, but what about a utility that reports what's already taken and what program owns it? [more inside]
posted by lasitter on Jul 4, 2007 - 1 answer

Which cinematographs or televisual serials most faithfully depict the operations of police or detectives?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 on May 29, 2007 - 25 answers

Let's say you wanted to actually BE Batman... [more inside]
posted by Ash3000 on Feb 20, 2007 - 33 answers

Does anyone have a recommendation for a private investigator/detective in the Boston area? Any tips for finding the best one, or helpful experiences working with one to share? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 14, 2007 - 3 answers

I was reading Tintin and I remembered an illustrated How To guide about being a detective in a similar ligne claire style that I loved as a kid. [more inside]
posted by andrewzipp on Jan 10, 2007 - 8 answers

Can someone point me to an online copy of the taxonomy of detective story plots done by either the Oulipo or the Oulipopo? My Google-fu is failing me. [more inside]
posted by juv3nal on Oct 31, 2006 - 3 answers

Are you, or have you ever been, a detective? [more inside]
posted by wildclover on Oct 13, 2006 - 14 answers

In this month's GQ, there's a longer update to the Milford High drug bust story, in which a 23-year-old private detective went undercover at a high school, leading to the eventual arrest of seventeen high school students. (The story inspired a decidedly banal MeFi thread.) My question--not covered in the previous thread, the news coverage, or the GQ article--is simple: how in the world is it legal for a private detective to buy drugs? And for the reported purchase of drugs to lead to an arrest? [more inside]
posted by Ian A.T. on May 29, 2006 - 12 answers

Has anyone ever used one of those web detective sites? If so, which would you recommend? [more inside]
posted by joaniemcchicken on Apr 13, 2006 - 4 answers

If you wanted to track down someone you knew from an online community, given only a username, how would you go about it? [more inside]
posted by jojopizza on Mar 26, 2006 - 16 answers

Do hotels still have house detectives? You always hear about them in old movies and radio shows; do they still exist? If they do, what are their responsibilities?
posted by Dr. Wu on Dec 12, 2005 - 11 answers

A friend from junior high tracked me down by phone a few years ago (we'd been out of touch for about 15 years), which jump-started our friendship. We’ve never met up again in person (I left our home town years ago), but we stayed in touch via phone calls and email. For various reasons, however, I’ve begun to suspect that I’m being hoaxed in some way. I don't mean that I think this a stranger impersonating my friend, or that I’ve been swindled out of any money or anything. I've just started to get the funny feeling (due to inconsistencies, odd details, explanations that don’t always add up, etc.) that the story I've been given about where they're living, their career (supposedly a high-powered, adventurous one), etc. is just that -- a story that was made up, for some reason, to fool me after all these years.

My amateur detective skills pretty much begin and end with google, however, which has turned up nothing useful. I thought of checking military records (this person claims to have served after college) as a starting point, but I'm a civilian and so can’t access them. Of course I'm wary of the "find out the truth about anyone -- just $39.95!" online ads. Are there any (legitimate) resources I’m overlooking? Any other suggestions with how to deal with what has become an uncomfortable situation?
posted by anonymous on Feb 2, 2005 - 18 answers

If, theoretically, a family member of yours was murdered, which TV or movie cops would you want investigating. I'd choose either Andy Sipowicz or Jack Cates from 48 Hours to do the legwork because of sheer badassery and Frank Pembleton from Homicide to handle interrogations. Who would you choose and why?
posted by jonmc on Sep 18, 2004 - 45 answers