In principle, I agree with Kevin about amateurs. I read very
few
books about amateur sleuths. But there is one kind of
amateur about
whom I'm willing to suspend my disbelief. For lack of a
better word,
I'd probably call it the "hobbyist." You almost never find
them in
hard-boiled stories. I'm talking about characters like
Ellery Queen
or Lord Peter who, although not professional detectives *per
se*, are
not continually bumping up against crimes "accidentally,"
but because
they seek it out. It takes just a bit of the unbelievabilty
out of
the "amateur sleuth" concept. They might be more accurately
termed
"semi-pros." - Jim Doherty
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