16 Fictional Detectives and the Guns They Use

A good crime-fiction detective needs a sharp eye, a healthy dose of suspicion and, in plenty of stories, a weapon close at hand. From the wisecracking private eyes of classic noir to modern investigators chasing killers across the American West, firearms have become part of the way some fictional characters are portrayed.

These 16 characters include police detectives, private investigators and a few other crime solvers who regularly find themselves in dangerous situations. Some are associated with one particular gun, while others use different weapons from book to book or on screen. Here are the firearms linked to their stories, along with the authors and books that made them familiar to readers.

Michael Connelly introduced Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch in The Black Echo, the beginning of a long-running series. Bosch has carried different firearms over the years, and the Smith & Wesson 5906 9mm semi-automatic pistol is frequently associated with his police career. It is worth keeping the distinction clear: the first novel depicts Bosch with a revolver, not the 5906.

Robert Crais introduced private investigator Elvis Cole in The Monkey’s Raincoat, giving Los Angeles a detective with a sharp sense of humor and a knack for finding trouble. One of the firearms associated with Cole is a Dan Wesson Model 8-2 .357 Magnum revolver. The weapon fits his old-school investigator image, even if Cole is just as recognizable for his wisecracks.

John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport first appeared in Rules of Prey and went on to anchor the long-running Prey series. The Minneapolis-area investigator has used more than one kind of gun, including a Heckler & Koch P7 semi-automatic pistol. With a character whose career spans decades, it makes more sense to think of this as one of his weapons rather than his only one.

Cassie Dewell is one of the investigators created by C.J. Box, moving between law-enforcement work and private investigations in the American West. A Glock 27 pistol chambered in .40 S&W is among the guns associated with her. Treasure State is a notable entry in the series, putting Cassie back into another complicated Montana case.

Randy Wayne White’s Marion “Doc” Ford is a marine biologist whose quiet Florida life keeps colliding with dangerous people and old secrets. The .41-caliber Colt Thunderer revolver is one firearm linked to his adventures, although Ford is hardly limited to one weapon. Deep Blue is one of the later novels featuring the character.

Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther is a German investigator whose cases unfold against the grim backdrop of Nazi Germany and its aftermath. The Walther PPK pistol is among the firearms connected with this hard-boiled detective. The Berlin Noir trilogy, which collects his first three novels, is a good place to meet the character.

Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer is about as hard-boiled as fictional private detectives get. A Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol chambered in .45 ACP is closely tied to his tough, often violent approach to a case. Readers first encountered Hammer in I, the Jury, the novel that launched the series.

Jack Harrigan, the protagonist of Paul Smith’s Walk with the Tiger, comes from the particularly rough side of crime fiction. A Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver is among the weapons associated with him, along with a Colt .45 automatic. He may not have the name recognition of Marlowe or Bosch, but he fits comfortably into the hard-boiled detective tradition.

John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee calls himself a salvage consultant, which is one way of describing a man who retrieves things other people cannot. The Škorpion machine pistol, chambered in .32 ACP, is among the firearms linked to his adventures, though McGee is better remembered for his Florida setting and complicated sense of justice. His story begins with The Deep Blue Good-by.

Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe helped define the cynical, quick-witted private detective. In The Big Sleep, he keeps a Colt Detective Special .38-caliber revolver in his car, but his real advantage is knowing when someone is lying to him. Few detectives have ever sounded more unimpressed by the people who hire them.

Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone investigates crimes in the fictional California city of Santa Teresa. In G Is for Gumshoe, she arranges to buy a Heckler & Koch P7 9mm pistol after receiving advice about protecting herself. It is a specific detail that grounds the danger Kinsey encounters in what otherwise feels like everyday detective work.

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is not technically a private detective, but C.J. Box keeps sending him into mysteries and dangerous investigations. In Off the Grid, Pickett carries an M14 carbine as the action moves into the remote Red Desert. It is one example of how his seemingly ordinary job can turn into something far more dangerous.

Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade is the cool-headed private investigator at the center of The Maltese Falcon. A Colt .45 automatic appears when Spade takes a gun from another man, and a Colt M1911A1 also features in the 1941 film adaptation. That does not make the pistol his regular sidearm; Spade is better known for his nerve and his ability to read people.

Robert B. Parker’s Spenser is a Boston private investigator with a boxer’s instincts and a stubborn personal code. A Colt .32 Pocket Model semi-automatic pistol is one of the guns associated with him, but his books are just as interested in loyalty, relationships and moral choices. Looking for Rachel Wallace is a notable example.

Stephen Hunter’s Bob Lee Swagger is a former Marine sniper whose stories lean more toward military thrillers than traditional detective fiction. The CheyTac M200 Intervention rifle is associated with Swagger through the 2007 film Shooter, rather than the 1996 novel Black Light, another book featuring the character. The existing image shows a Barrett M82A1, which is a different rifle.

Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski is a Chicago private investigator who rarely backs away from a fight, even when powerful people would prefer that she did. A Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver is among the weapons associated with her, although she is defined more by persistence than firepower. Hard Time is one of her notable cases.