The stories behind two of mystery literature most famous detectives

They are two of the most iconic detectives in mystery fiction, but did you know that they based partly on real-life people? Authors often draw on real-life experiences to create fictional characters and often the stories behind their inspiration are as fascinating themselves.

Here are the stories behind two of mystery literature most famous detectives

Miss Marple

Agatha Christie’s famous detective was inspired by several people and places in the author’s life. The character is thought to have been based on Christie’s step-grandmother who was known as Margaret Miller. Christie once said of Miss Marple that she was “the sort of old lady who would have been rather like some of my step grandmother's Ealing cronies – old ladies whom I have met in so many villages where I have gone to stay as a girl".

It’s believed the Christie got the name for the character from Marple Railway Station near Manchester or Marple House in Stockport.

Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle had already begun to write stories about his now-legendary detective Sherlock Holmes before he met Dr. Joseph Bell in 1877, but the surgeon had a significant influence on his future writings.

Doyle was intrigued by Bell’s powers of deduction and reasoning and how he could arrive at accurate conclusions often with little evidence or information. Bell worked as a surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when Doyle first met him, but he achieved a level of notoriety by his association with the fictional detective. He even went so far as to assist police in Scotland with their investigations.

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