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"I consider John Watson, M.D., to be the prototype for most of the sidekicks in Golden Age detective novels. He's possibly unique, though, in that he, the so-called sidekick, narrates the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Everything we know about Holmes is seen through Watson's eyes; this is even occasionally remarked upon in text, when Holmes comments upon the stories Watson publishes. In contrast, what we know about Watson is subject to what he himself tells us, and that is minimal (for instance, the location of his war wound, famously wandering: was it his leg, or his shoulder?). That makes sense, though, if it isn't Watson's personality that we're meant to be interested in: he's the stand-in for us, the readers. When Holmes explains something to Watson, or to Lestrade, he is really explaining it to us.
We are the sidekicks."
A list of mystery authors whose books or series feature a detective with a significant sidekick begins on the right and continues at the bottom of the newsletter. Clicking on the author's name will bring you to their biography, while clicking on a series or character link will bring you to a bibliography of books. Happy mystery reading!
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