Emily Cabot: one of the first female graduate students, in sociology in the 1890s at the University of Chicago, Illinois, by Frances McNamara

Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield, owners of Read ’Em and Eat, a bookstore and café in Fort Myers Beach, in the barrier islands of the Florida Gulf Coast, by Terrie Farley Moran

Wentworth Cabot: secretary to Mark Twain, a 19th century American author, by Peter J. Heck

Nathaniel Cade: a vampire sworn to protect the president and the United States from supernatural threats, starting in the Andrew Johnson administration (1867), by Christopher Farnsworth

Silas Cade: black-ops Iraq war veteran and contract consultant working for Wall Street hedge fund managers and investors, based in New York City, by Mike Cooper

Brother Cadfael: 12th century monk and herbalist in Shrewsbury, England, by Ellis Peters

Jack Caffery: troubled police detective in London, England, by Mo Hayder

Penn Cage: lawyer and writer, in Natchez, Mississippi, by Greg Iles

Rick Cahill: former Santa Barbara cop falsely accused of killing his wife, now a private investigator in the San Diego suburb, La Jolla, California, by Matt Coyle

Cabot Cain: 6-foot 7-inch tall athletic genius with multiple degrees, working with Interpol around the world, by Alan Caillou

Hailey Cain: 23-year-old West Point dropout, San Francisco bike messenger, later second in command in a gang in Los Angeles, California, by Jodi Compton

Jenny Cain: foundation director in Port Frederick, Massachusetts, by Nancy Pickard

Virgil Cain: a small-time rancher, and Claire Marchand, a homicide detective, in upstate New York, by Brad Smith

Charlotte Caine: chef running Nightlife, a restaurant serving the undead in New York City, in the Vampire Chef mysteries by Sarah Zettel

John Caine: Navy SEAL turned private eye in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Charles Knief

Rosalie Cairns: bookstore clerk turned academic, in Peterborough and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by Betsy Struthers

Timothy Calahan: legislative aide for a New York state senator, in Albany, New York, by Richard Stevenson

Leo Caldas: police inspector in Galicia, an autonomous region in northwest Spain, by Domingo Villar

Denise “Denni” Caldecote: police sergeant in Marston, England, by Christine Green

Calder and Behrens, country gentlemen serving as counterintelligence agents, in England, by Michael Gilbert

Alex Calder: former RAF fighter pilot, now a City bond trader based in London, England, by Michael Ridpath

Keith Calder: gunsmith in Newton Lauder, Scotland, by Gerald Hammond

Emma Caldridge: chemist and international ultramarathon runner, and Edward Banner of the security company Darkview, by Jamie Freveletti

Jack Caleb: gay psychiatrist in Chicago, Illinois, by Michael Allen Dymmoch

Calhoun: Vietnam vet working for a U.S. internal security agency run by “The Man”, by Wade Wright

Casey Calhoun: organic gardener in Washington, DC, in the White House Gardener mysteries by Dorothy St. James

Cat Caliban: 60-something PI-in-training, in Cincinnati, Ohio, by D.B. Borton

Brock (The Rock) Callahan: former professional football player turned upscale private investigator, in Los Angeles, California, by William Campbell Gault

James Callahan: homicide detective in Boston, Massachusetts, by Al Blanchard

Mick Callahan: radio talk show psychologist in Dry Wells, Nevada, by Harry Shannon

Slim Callaghan: tough private investigator in England, by Peter Cheyney

Sister Rose Callahan: eldress of the community of believers at the Shaker village of North Homage, Kentucky, by Deborah Woodworth

David Callan: British agent in the eternal struggle with the KGB, mostly in England, by James Mitchell

Vincent “Vinee” Calvino: disbarred American lawyer turned private investigator, in Bangkok, Thailand, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, by Christopher G. Moore

Max Cámara: chief inspector in the Spanish National Police, in Valencia, Spain, by Jason Webster

Ronald Camberwell: private investigator (“specialist in criminology … I have nothing to do with the police”), in London, England, by J.S. Fletcher

Kelsey Cambridge: director of Barton Farm, a living history museum in Ohio, in the Living History Museum series by Amanda Flower

Claire Camden: California English professor in London, England, by Audrey Peterson

Kitzi Camden: 50-ish beader and former senator, in Texas, by Barbara Burnett Smith

Alasdair Cameron: police detective, and Jean Fairbairn, working for an Edinburgh-based history and travel magazine, in Scotland, by Lillian Stewart Carl

Anna Cameron: police sergeant, later Chief Inspector, in Glasgow, Scotland, by Karen Campbell

Jade del Cameron: ambulance driver in WWI and adventurer in 1919-1920s colonial East Africa, by Suzanne Arruda

Paul Cameron: private investigator in southern California, by Wade Wright

Sandra Cameron: detective in Los Angeles, California, by Michael Joens

Tess Camillo: single, middle-aged lesbian amateur sleuth who lives with a straight housemate, in San Diego, California, by Morgan Hunt

Jess Campbell: a police inspector, and Ian Carter, the new superintendent, in the Cotswolds, England, by Ann Granger

Kat Campbell: police chief and single-mom in peaceful Perry Hollow, Pennsylvania, by Todd Ritter

Lee Campbell: criminal profiler with the NYPD, in New York City, by C.E. Lawrence (Carole Buggé)

Liam Campbell: Alaskan State Trooper in Newenham, Alaska, by Dana Stabenow

Margaret Campbell: American pathologist, and Li Yan, a Chinese detective, in Beijing, China, by Peter May

Michael Campbell: Scottish professor, and Rebecca Reid, historian, in Ohio and later in Scotland, by Lillian Stewart Carl

Albert Campion: suave sleuth with noble blood, in London, England, by Margery Allingham

Lucy Campion: young orphan working as a chambermaid in 1665 London, England, by Susanna Calkins

Canaletto: an 18th century Italian painter in London, England, by Janet Laurence

Ben Candidi: free-spirited, nature-loving biomedical scientist, and Rebecca Levis, a medical student, later MD, in Florida, Washington, DC, and elsewhere, by Dirk Wyle

Caroline Canfield: wildlife artist in River Ridge, Illinois, by Jacqueline Fiedler

Jane Candiotti: homicide inspector in San Francisco, California, by Clyde Phillips

John Cann: Vietnam Special Forces veteran, now a US-based lawyer dealing with international legal issues and ethical dilemmas in Europe, by James Macomber

Dave Cannon: Connecticut Yankee, in rural Gloucestershire, England, and in Wales, by Michael Delving

Chen Cao: Inspector in the Shanghai, China, Police Department, by Qiu Xiaolong

Glyn Capaldi: half-Italian, half-Welsh detective sergeant exiled to mountainous mid-Wales, by Ewart Hutton

Barbara, Countess da Capo-Zendrini, and Urbino McIntyre, an American expatriate writer and amateur sleuth, in Venice, Italy, by Edward Sklepowich

Sam Capra: a brilliant CIA agent who is set up and loses everything, by Jeff Abbott

Merle Capricorn: former vaudeville magician turned police superintendent in England, by Pauline Glen Winslow

Annie Capshaw, recently divorced, and her ex-beauty queen best friend, Eve DeCateur, in Arlington, Virginia, in the Cooking Class mysteries by Miranda Bliss

Letitia (Tish) Carberry: by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Sixto Cardenas: Puerto Rican cop, in Puerto Rico, by M.J. Adamson

Victor Cardenas: police detective in Atlantic City, New Jersey, by Jane Rubino

Inspector Superintendent Cardiff: in England, by Dulcie Gray

Jack Cardigan: 22nd century ex-cop private investigator in Los Angeles, California, by William Shatner

John Cardinal: homicide detective near Algonquin Bay, Ontario, Canada, by Giles Blunt

Neal Carey: youthful pickpocket turned private investigator in New York City, by Don Winslow

Sir Robert Carey: nobleman in Elizabethan England, by P.R. Chisholm

Victor Carl: down-on-his-luck, money-hungry lawyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by William Lashner

Carrie Carlin: biofeedback specialist in New Jersey, by Nancy Tesler

Kenneth Carlisle: in New York and Connecticut, by Carolyn Wells

Carlotta Carlyle: cab-driving ex-cop PI in Boston, Massachusetts, by Linda Barnes

John Carlyle: inspector in the Metropolitan Police, in London, England, by James Craig

Liz Carlyle: an agent in MI-5 Joint Counter-Terrorist Group, in London, England, by Stella Rimington

Agnes Carmichael: hospital staff nurse in England, by Anthea Cohen

Catherine Carmichael: CIA analyst, by Francine Mathews

Della Carmichael: owner of a cooking school and star of “Della Cooks,” a cable TV cooking show, in Santa Monica, California, by Melinda Wells (Linda Palmer)

Peter Carmichael: Scotland Yard inspector, in an alternative history starting in 1949 Britain, where WWII ended with a truce in 1941, by Jo Walton

Carnaby: police detective with the CID in North Yorkshire, England, by Peter Walker

Mary Carner: department store detective, in New York City, by Zelda Popkin

Michael Carolina: former TV investigative reporter in Providence, Rhode Island, by Thomas Gately Briody

Ace Carpenter: private investigator in Los Angeles, California, by Hamilton T. Caine (Stephen Smoke)

Andy Carpenter: defense attorney in Paterson, New Jersey, by David Rosenfelt

Gus Carpenter: reporter returning to his hometown of Starvation Lake, Michigan, by Bryan Gruley

Hollis Carpenter: lesbian crime reporter and her schnauzer Anice, in 1936-37 Houston, Texas, by Deborah Powell

Jack Carpenter: former head of Broward County (Florida) Missing Persons Unit, now a private investigator in south Florida, by James Swain

Kate Carpenter: theater manager in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by Deborah Nicholson

Sabina Carpenter: a former Pinkerton operative, and her detective partner, ex-Secret Service agent John Quincannon, in late 1890s San Francisco, California, by Marcia Muller & Bill Pronzini

Scott Carpenter: gay baseball player in Chicago, Illinois, by Mark Richard Zubro

Charles Carr and Jack Kelly: seasoned, tough Secret Service agents after counterfeiters, starting in Los Angeles, California, and Washington, DC, by Gerald Petievich

Webb Carrick: chief officer of the Fishery Protection Service in Scotland, by Bill Knox

Jack Carrigan, a detective inspector, and Geneva Miller, a detective sergeant, in London, England, by Stav Sherez

Carruthers, Simpson and Biggs: elderly down-on-their-luck mystery writers, putting their plots into action, in The Murder League Trilogy, by Robert L. Fish

Wilhelmina (Willa) Carson: federal judge in Tampa, Florida, by Diane Capri

Garth Carson: taxidermy dealer based in New York City, by Brian M. Wiprud

Jack Carston: detective chief inspector in Cairnburgh, near Aberdeen, Scotland, by Bill Kirton

Inspector Carter and Sergeant Bell, a tortoise and hare team of Scotland Yard detectives, in London, England, by E.R. Punshon

Chloe Carter: boy-crazy 20-something gourmand, in Brighton, Massachusetts, in the Gourmet Girl mysteries by Susan Conant and Jessica Conant-Park

Claudine Carter: Anglo-French forensic psychologist and criminal profiler working for Europol, in Europe, by Harry Asher (Brian Freemantle)

Ian Carter, the new superintendent, and Jess Campbell, a police inspector, in the Cotswolds, England, by Ann Granger

Jack Carter: 1940s captain in Ireland, by Jack Higgins

Madeline Carter: former stockbroker in New York, turned day trader in Los Angeles, California, by Linda L. Richards

Martin Carter: former star Canadian hockey player, now retired due to a head injury and working with the New York St. Patricks team in community relations, by Michael McKinley

Neil Carter: Scotland Yard detective in London, England, by Eileen Dewhurst

Nick Carter: sexually active, gun slinging secret agent, by Nick Carter

Anne Cartier: ex-vaudeville actress, then a tutor for deaf children, in England and France on the eve of the French Revolution, by Charles O’Brien

Captain Harry Cartwright: wounded, bitter survivor of the Boer War, now a “fixer,” and Lady Rose Summer, in Edwardian England, by Marion Chesney

Cece Caruso: 40-something biographer of dead mystery writers and fan of vintage fashions, in Southern California, by Susan Kandel

Enrico Caruso: Italian tenor in New York City, by Barbara Paul

Tony Caruso: private investigator working out of his home-office in an old Ford pickup, with his German-trained bomb-sniffing dog Panzer, a Giant Schnauzer, in Bend, Oregon, by Trevor Scott

Pepe Carvalho: ex-CIA agent, former communist, and gourmet private investigator, in Barcelona, Spain, by Manuel Vazquez Montalban

Fred Carver: private investigator in Del Moray, Florida, by John Lutz

Samuel Carver: former British marine, now a hitman who arranges accidents for bad guys around the world, by Tom Cain

Rex Carver: English spy turned private investigator, in Europe, by Victor Canning

Tony Casella: family-man private investigator in New York City, by Larry Beinhart

Jack “Flashgun” Casey: crime photographer in Boston, Massachusetts, by George Harmon Coxe

Samantha (Sam) Casey: Native American detective sergeant who can hear the dead speak, in Chasen Heights, Illinois, by Sandra Tooley

Tom Casey: private investigator in Medford, Oregon, in the Hawkman mysteries, by Betty Sullivan La Pierre

DCI Will (Willow Tree) Casey: assigned to the police station in King’s Langley, England, by Geraldine Evans

Porter Cassel: ranger with the Alberta Forest Service, in Canada, by Dave Hugelschaffer

Brooke Cassidy: mystery writer in 1890s Newport, Rhode Island, by Mary Kruger

Faith Cassidy: an actress-turned-therapist, by Catherine Dain

Harlow Jean Cassidy: Manhattan fashion designer who opens the Magical Dressmaking boutique in a farmhouse she inherits in Bliss, Texas, by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Lew Cassidy: former pro football player, now a private detective, in 1940s New York City, by Thomas Maxwell (Thomas Gifford)

Jean Casson: film producer caught up in the Resistance during WWII, in German-occupied Paris, France, by Alan Furst

“Casta” Castagnetti: loner, bee-keeping private investigator in northern Italy, by Tobias Jones

Henri Castang: police detective in Brussels, Belgium, by Nicolas Freeling

Gianni Castiglione: violin maker in rural Cremona, Italy, by Paul Adam

Charley Castillo: Delta Force Major working with the Department of Homeland Security, in the Presidential Agent series, by W.E.B. Griffin

Mollie Cates: true crime writer and reporter in Texas, by Mary Willis Walker

Gene Castle: private investigator in late 1930s to 1945 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by Jim Christy

Felix Castor: free-lance exorcist, in supernatural fantasy thrillers set in London, England, by Mike Carey

Arthur Cathcart: market researcher and occasional finder of missing persons searching for the truth about his murdered wife, by Chris Knopf

Quintus Licinius Cato, a former imperial slave, and centurion Lucius Cornelius Macro, Roman soldiers starting under Claudius, in an action, historical, intrigue series by Simon Scarrow

DS Thomas Catt: assigned to the police station in King’s Langley, England, by Geraldine Evans

Androcles Caldwell: psychology professor at North University, his “Watson,” Bendy Brinks, and Lt. Percy Phelan, a homicide detective, in Chicago, Illinois, by Milton K. Ozaki

Am Caulfield: hotel detective in San Diego, California, by Alan Russell

Lemmy Caution: FBI agent in the USA, by Peter Cheyney

David Cavanaugh: criminal defense attorney in Boston, Massachusetts, by Sydney Bauer

Darcy Cavanaugh: ER nurse who takes a job on a cruise ship, by Candy Calvert

Kate Cavanaugh: gourmet caterer in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Cathie John

Nick Cavanaugh: Navy vet and Fleet Boxing Champ in 1940s Newport, Kentucky, by Cathie John

Superintendent Cawthorn: in England, by Roger Silverwood

Sandro Cellini: a disgraced ex-cop, now a private investigator, in Florence, Italy, by Christobel Kent

Alessandro Cenni: maverick state police commissario, in Assisi, Umbria, Italy, by Grace Brophy

Antonio “Chico” Cervantes: private eye in Los Angeles, California, by Bruce Alexander

Nola Céspedes: ambitious young reporter at the Times-Picayune, in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Joy Castro

Romilia Chacón: young bilingual cop in Nashville, Tennessee, later an FBI agent in Los Angeles, California, by Marcos M. Villatoro

Geoffrey Chadwick: an acerbic, single, gay, 50-something corporate lawyer based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Edward O. Phillips

Martha Chainey: courier for the corporate mob in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Gary Phillips

Danny Chaisson: former Assistant District Attorney, now bagman for a crooked state senator in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Kenneth Abel

Billy Chaka: ace reporter for Cleveland’s hottest-selling Asian teen magazine, by Isaac Adamson

Henry Chalice and Crying Eddie, in England, by Donald MacKenzie

Bart Challis: hard-boiled private investigator, and his half-brother Nick, in Los Angeles, California, by William F. Nolan

Hal Challis: Detective Inspector on the Peninsula south-east of Melbourne, Australia, by Garry Disher

Lindsay Chamberlain: forensic archeologist at the University of Georgia, in Athens, Georgia, by Beverly Connor

Natasha Chamberlain: young investigator, and Jonce Striker, founder of Investigative Services, Inc., in Knoxville, Tennessee, by Christy Tillery French

Isabel “Izzy” Chambers: lawyer who leaves Boston to open the Seaside Knitting Studio, in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, by Sally Goldenbaum

Sidney Chambers: 32-year-old bachelor, vicar of Grantchester, and amateur sleuth, in 1950s Cambridgeshire, England, in the Grantchester mysteries by James Runcie

Zoe Chambers: paramedic and deputy coroner in rural Vance Township, Pennsylvania, by Annette Dashofy

Pierre Chambrun: resident manager of the Hotel Beaumont in New York City, by Hugh Pentecost 

Kyle Champion: former TV news anchor, now a private investigator, by Harold Adams

Charlie Chan: police detective based in Honolulu, Hawaii, by Earl Derr Biggers

Sid Chance: private investigator, in Nashville, Tennessee, by Chester D. Campbell

Troy Chance: freelance writer in Lake Placid, New York, by Sara J. Henry

Paris Chandler: wealthy young widow, gossip reporter, and sleuth, in 1947 Los Angeles, California, by Diane K. Shah

Remy Chandler: angel turned private investgator, in Boston, Massachusetts, in an urban fantasy series by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Zinc Chandler: member of the Special X department of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by Michael Slade

Jacob Chaos: police inspector in England, by Shelley Smith

Corinna Chapman: former banker, now running a bakery, Earthly Delights, in Melbourne, Australia, by Kerry Greenwood

Edwina Charles: clairvoyant in England, by Mignon Warner

Inspector Charlesworth: in England, by Christianna Brand

Emily Charters: adopted grandmother of Jeremy Ransom, a homicide detective in Chicago, Illinois, by Fred Hunter

Alden Chase: a chief of police in Wading River, Massachusetts, by Theodora Wender

Dr. Elizabeth Chase: Stanford-trained parapsychologist turned private investigator, in San Diego, California, by Martha C. Lawrence

Merrit Chase: a Californian searching for relatives in Ireland, in the County Clare mysteries by Lisa Alber

Nick Chase: retired NYPD homicide detective now running a cigar store called The Happy Smoking Ground, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Harry Paul Lonsdale (H. Paul Jeffers)

Nikki Chase: black economics professor in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the Ivy League mysteries, by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Susan Chase: specializing in finding runaways, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, by Steve Brown

Zoe Chase: the new owner of a fixer-upper diner, and running a food truck in Mobile, Alabama, in the Biscuit Bowl Food Truck series by J.J. Cook (Joyce and Jim Lavene pseudonym)

Laura Chastain: assistant district attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, by Lelia Kelly

Zack Chasteen: former Miami Dolphin linebacker, in Florida and the Caribbean, by Bob Morris

Geoffrey Chaucer: poet and detective in the late 1300s, in England, by Mary Devlin

Geoffrey Chaucer: acting as an agent for Edward III in the late 1300s in England and on the continent, by Philippa Morgan (Philip Gooden)

Paul Chavasse: globe-trotting spy for Britain in the 1960s, by Martin Fallon (Jack Higgins)

Jim Chee: Navajo tribal police officer in the southwest USA, by Tony Hillerman

Rodney Chelmarsh: vicar, and his wife Doran Fairweather, antiques seller, in Kent, England, by Mollie Hardwick

Bradman (Brad) Chen: 5th-generation Chinese-Australian ex-rugby star and inspector with the Australian Federal Police, in Canberra, Australia, by Kel Robertson

Chen Cao: Inspector in the Shanghai, China, Police Department, by Qiu Xiaolong

Zoe Chase: new owner of a fixer-upper diner, and running a food truck in Mobile, Alabama, in the Biscuit Bowl Food Truck series by J.J. Cook (Joyce & Jim Lavene)

Annie Chemovitz: former investigative journalist, now a stay-at-home mom involved with a scrapbooking club, in fictional Cumberland Creek, Virginia, by Mollie Cox Bryan

Derek Cheney: recently retired LAPD chief of detectives, in Los Angeles, California, by Stephen Smoke

Francis Cherry: Scotland Yard inspector, in London, England, by Peter Van Greenaway

Sunny Childs: private investigator with Peachtree Investigations, in Atlanta, Georgia, by Ruth Birmingham (Walter Sorrells)

Lydia Chin: 30-something Chinese American private eye, and Bill Smith, a 40-something Army brat private eye in New York City, by S.J. Rozan

Nicholas Chirke: young lawyer in medieval England, in the Canterbury Tales mysteries, by P.C. Doherty

Emma Chizzit: salvage dealer in Sacramento, California, by Mary Bowen Hall

Allen Choice: Korean-American Silicon Valley investigator, in Los Angeles, California, by Leonard Chang

Robert Chow: NYPD Chinatown beat cop in 1976 New York City, by Ed Lin

Henry Christie: a hard-drinking detective inspector, later DCI, in Blackpool, England, by Nick Oldham

Richard Christie: homicide detective in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by Kathleen George

Father Tom Christmas: widower with a 9-year-old daughter, and the new vicar in Thornford Regis, a picturesque village in England, by C.C. Benison

Robert Christopher: television reporter in Los Angeles, California, by Robert Irvine

Gordon Christy: veterinarian and Gala, a Doberman, in New Mexico, by Barbara Moore

Grace Chu, an American-educated Chinese forensic accountant, and John Knox, an American Iraqi war veteran, with an import/export business, working together as freelance undercover operatives around the world in the Risk Agent series by Ridley Pearson

Inspector Chucky: in England, by Christianna Brand

Marlene Ciampi: assistant District Attorney in 1970s New York City, by Robert K. Tanenbaum

Marcus Cicero: in a political thriller trilogy set in Republican Rome, by Robert Harris

Emile Cinq-Mars: detective sergeant of French and Indian extraction, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by John Farrow (Trevor Ferguson)

Clair Claiborne: beauty salon owner in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Sophie Dunbar

Jack Clancy: a reporter, and Iris Cooper, a flapper, in Portland, Oregon, by K.K. Beck

Claes Claesson: detective, later Police Commissioner, and his wife Veronika Lundborg, a surgeon, in Oskarshamn, Sweden, by Karin Wahlber

Austin Clapp: police lieutenant, and Max Thursday, an ex-cop private investigator, in San Diego, California, by Wade Miller

Clark Clark Clark, in New York City, by Samm Sinclair Baker

Drummond Clark: 64-year-old retired CIA operative with Alzheimer’s, and his son Charlie Clark, a gambler in hock to Russian loan sharks, by Keith Thomson

John Clark: ex-Navy Seal and creator of an elite, international anti-terrorist group based in England, by Tom Clancy

Megan Clark: reference librarian and a member of the murder mystery reading group, Murder by the Yard in Amarillo, Texas, by D.R. Meredith

Nichelle Clarke: intrepid crime reporter in a small town on the coast of Virginia, in the Headlines in Heels mysteries by LynDee Walker

Barry Clayton: ex-cop who returns home to help run the family funeral home business, in Gainesboro, North Carolina, by Mark De Castrique

Lilly (Lillian Belle Rose) Cleary: eco-conscious junior partner in a prestigious law firm in Sarasota, Florida, by Claire Matturro

John Wayne Cleaver: teenager obsessed with serial killers and trying to avoid becoming one, in Clayton County, North Dakota, by Dan Wells

Denise Cleever: agent for the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, by Claire McNab

Jules Clement: archaeologist turned sheriff, in Blue Deer, Montana, by Jamie Harrison

Frank Clemons: a homicide detective in Atlanta, Georgia, later a private eye in New York City, by Thomas H. Cook

Frank Clevenger: forensic psychiatrist in Massachusetts, by Keith Ablow

Steve Cline: young stable hand in Maryland, by Kit Ehrman

Myrtle Clover: 80-something retired English teacher who writes a newspaper column, in fictional Bradley, North Carolina, by Elizabeth Spann Craig

Caleb Cluff: a stubborn police sergeant in the small town of Gunnarshaw, in Yorkshire, England, by Gil North

Joshua Clunk: Bible-spouting, hymn-singing lawyer, in London, England, by H.C. Bailey

Christopher Marlowe Cobb: American newspaper war correspondent, who doubles as a spy, in WWI, by Robert Olen Butler

Matt Cobb: investigator for network television in New York City, by William L. DeAndrea

Will Cochrane, the most prized asset of the CIA and MI-6, on missions around the world, by Matthew Dunn

Inspector Cockrill: attached to a constabulary in Kent County, England, by Christianna Brand

Samantha (Sam) Cody: former LAPD officer, now a sheriff’s deputy in Mercer Corner, California, by D.P. Lyle

Frank Coffin: burned out Baltimore homicide detective, returning to his hometown, Provincetown, Massachusetts, by Jon Loomis

John Coffin: police inspector rising through the ranks to Commissioner, and his wife, Stella Pinero, an actress, in south London, England, by Gwendoline Butler

Wiki Coffin: half New Zealand Maori and half American linguister (translator) aboard American South Seas Exploring Expedition in 1838, by Joan Druett

Andrew Coggin: detective inspector, and sergeant Fred Sump, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by John Reeves

Artie Cohen: Moscow-born NYPD cop, later a private investigator, based in New York City, by Reggie Nadelson

Avram Cohen: police officer in Jerusalem, Israel, by Robert Rosenberg

Midge Cohen: children's author fluent in Russian, in Brooklyn, New York, by Toni Brill

Allison Coil: hunting guide in the Flat Tops Wilderness of northwest Colorado, by Mark Stevens

Robert Colbeck: former attorney now serving as an inspector in the fledging Scotland Yard in 1851 London, England, by Edward Marston

Al Colby: private investigator based in Mexico City, working in Latin America, by David Dodge

Jack Colby: car detective, in England, by Amy Myers

Harry Colderwood: professional magician, by Patrick A. Kelley

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, a pair of Hollywood private eyes, in Los Angeles, California, by Robert Crais

Larry Cole: police commander in Chicago, Illinois, by Hugh Holton

Lewis Cole: former Department of Defense research analyst, retired in Tyler Beach, New Hampshire, by Brendan DuBois

Beatrice Coleman: retired art museum curator and amateur sleuth in the fictional mountain village of Dappled Hills, North Carolina, in the Southern Quilting mysteries by Elizabeth Craig

Richard Coleman: lawyer in late 1970s Dallas, Texas, by William Manchee

Mike Coletti: homicide detective in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Solomon Jones

Matthew Coll: antiquarian bookseller and former British military intelligence agent, in Dorset, England, by Roy H. Lewis

Eddie Collins: part-time actor and part-time sleuth, in Hollywood, California, by Clive Rosengren

Hap Collins: straight and white, and Leonard Pine, gay and black, in East Texas, by Joe R. Lansdale

Henrietta O’Dwyer Collins: 70-something reporter in South Carolina, by Carolyn G. Hart

Jack Collins, and other operatives in the Event Group, the most secret US agency ever, in a science fiction–paranormal–thriller series by David L. Golemon

Julie Collins: secretary in a sheriff’s office and part-time private investigator, in western South Dakota, by Lori G. Armstrong

Monty Collins: defense attorney in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, by Anne Emery

Quinn Collins: reporter for the Hollywood Star, in Hollywood, California, by Nancy Baker Jacobs 

Stacey Collins: single mother, detective inspector who grew up in the slums of London, England, by Kevin Lewis

Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, 19th century writers in London, England, by William J. Palmer

Kat Colorado: bar-tending private investigator, in Sacramento, California, by Karen Kijewski

Quinn Colson: army ranger returning home from Afghanistan to rural northeast Mississippi, by Ace Atkins

Thatcher Colt: police commissioner in New York City, by Anthony Abbot

Columbo: homicide detective in Los Angeles, California (TV tie-in), by William Harrington

Columbus (The Silver Bear): world-weary international hired assassin by Derek Haas

John Comaday: police commissioner, and Larry Cohen, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, in New York City, by E.V. Cunningham

Thud Compton: police sergeant, later chief, and Kevin Kearnes, chief of police of the fictional coastal town of Cutter Point, Oregon, near the California border, and later an agent with Homeland Security in Portland, Oregon, by Kenneth R. Lewis

Mario Conde: police inspector in Havana, Cuba, in the Havana Quartet and others, by Leonardo Padura

Bart Condor: tough private investigator in New York City, by Wade Wright

Timothy Cone: Wall Street financial detective in New York City, by Lawrence Sanders

Daniel Connell: disgraced ex-City (London) lawyer now scraping a living in Essex, England, by David Thorne

Harper Connelly: lightning survivor who can find bodies, and her stepbrother Tolliver, in Sarne, Arkansas, by Charlaine Harris

Kate Connolly: office manager, private investigator, and new mother, in San Francisco, California, in the Maternal Instincts series by Diana Orgain

Gail Connor: corporate attorney in Miami, Florida, by Barbara Parker

Kevin Connor: 20-something gay escort and amateur sleuth, with attention deficit disorder, in New York City, by Scott Sherman

Kristan “Stan” Connor, retreating from corporate public relations to bake organic pet treats, in fictional Frog Ledge, Connecticut, in the Pawsitively Organic series by Liz Mugavero

Lexy Connor: software consultant in Boulder, Colorado. by Truly Donovan

Lily Connor: Episcopalian priest in Boston, Massachusetts, by Michelle Blake

Maggie Connors: stock broker and Tim Gallen, an IRS agent, by Malinda Terreri

Petra Connor: cop in Los Angeles, California, by Jonathan Kellerman

Liz Connors: former English professor and freelance crime writer, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Susan Kelly

Gerry Conte: undercover cop turned defense attorney in New York City, by Angela Amato & Joe Sharkey

Claire Conrad: tall, elegant private investigator, and her sassy assistant, Maggie Hill, in Los Angeles, California, and New York City, by Melodie Johnson Howe

Dev Conrad: political consultant in Chicago, Illinois, by Ed Gorman

Kathleen (Kate) Conway: TV producer for the show “Missing Persons” in Chicago, Illinois, by Clare O’Donohue

Nancy Cook: Chaucer scholar and professor at Yale University, by D.J. H. Jones

Pauline Cook: widowed socialite and world traveller, in Chicago, Illinois, in the High Society series, by Catherine O’Connell

Sunny Coolidge: former New York City newspaper reporter returning with her cat Shadow to Kittery Harbor, Maine, in the Sunny & Shadow mysteries by Claire Donally (Bill McCay)

Abby Cooper: “Psychic Eye” in Royal Oak, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, later Austin, Texas, by Victoria Laurie

Alex Cooper: Assistant District Attorney in New York City, by Linda Fairstein

Ben Cooper: detective constable trying to fill his police sergeant father’s shoes, and new partner, Diane Fry, recently transferred to Edendale’s force, in the Peak District in England, by Stephen Booth

Cleo Cooper: geologist in North Carolina, by Lee Mims

Den Cooper: determined policeman in Devon, England, by Rebecca Tope

Ellie Cooper: American Iraq War veteran, involved in the dissident art world in Beijing, China, by Lisa Brackmann

Emmanuel Cooper: detective sergeant in 1950s South Africa, by Malla Nunn

Eve Cooper: aspiring photographer and daughter of U.S. President Elliot Cooper, in Washington, DC, by Susan Ford

Iris Cooper: flapper, and Jack Clancy, a reporter, in Portland, Oregon, by K K. Beck

Jenny Cooper: small-town lawyer appointed Severn Vale District Coroner, in Gloucestershire, England, by M.R. Hall

John Cooper, dealing with the Nazis in 1970s Cooper’s Falls, Minnesota, and then 1990s Boston, Massachusetts, and Germany, by Thomas Gifford

Judy Cooper: 1950s costumed female vigilante known as the Black Stiletto, by Raymond Benson

Liz Cooper: clinical psychologist who is skeptical about the paranormal, in Los Angeles, California, in the Mind for Murder mysteries, by Rochelle Staab

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura, operators of a cupcake bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes, in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, by Jenn McKinlay

Major Vincent Cooper: agent of the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations, by David Rollins

W. Cooper: semi-retired CIA operative, and Julie Laramie, a CIA satellite intelligence analyst, in the British Virgin Islands by Will Staeger

Benny Cooperman: private investigator in Grantham, Ontario, Canada, by Howard Engel

Joe Copp: private investigator in Hollywood, California, by Don Pendleton

Jessica Coran: doctor and FBI medical examiner, in Washington, DC, by Robert W. Walker

Hugh Corbett: spy for King Edward I in England, by P.C. Doherty

Matthew Corbett: young magistrate’s clerk, in 1699 Carolina and 1703 New York City, by Robert McCammon

Miranda Corbie: private investigator, Spanish Civil War nurse, and ex-escort, in 1940s San Francisco, California, by Kelli Stanley

Talos Cord: United Nations troubleshooter in New York City, by Robert MacLeod (Bill Knox)

Meg Corey: taking over her mother’s colonial home and apple orchard, in fictional Granford, Massachusetts, by Sheila Connolly

Lord Edward Corinth: aded English aristocrat, and Verity Browne, a leftist journalist, between the wars in 1930s London, England, by David Roberts

Sir Francis Cornish and other academics at the College of St. John and the Holy Ghost, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies

Grace Cornish: private investigator in London, England, by Simon Shaw

Kevin Corvelli: Manhattan criminal defense lawyer who moves to Honolulu, Hawaii, by Douglas Corleone

Tudor Cornwall: Reader in Criminal Studies at the University of Wessex, in England, by Tim Heald

Frank Corso: former New York Times journalist, now working at the third-rate Seattle Sun, in Seattle, Washington, by G.M. Ford

Franco Corti: detective inspector in the London Art and Antiques Squad, working mainly in Italy, by Peter Inchbald

Marcus Corvinus: member of the Senatorial class in first century Rome, by David Wishart

Clare Cosi: manager of the Village Blend, a landmark coffeehouse in New York City’s Greenwich Village, in the Coffeehouse mysteries, by Cleo Coyle (Alice Alfonsi & Marc Cerasini)

Andrea “Andy” Cosicki: who writes the Mr. Action consumer column, and Shep Ladderback, an aging obituary writer, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Bill Kent

Nic Costa and Gianni Peroni, police detectives in Rome, Italy, by David Hewson

Jimmy Costello: a Catholic and former shady policeman, by James Green

Mark Coswell: homicide inspector in Vancouver, and Paul Blakemore, an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in British Columbia, Canada, by Roy Innes

Martin Cotterell: erudite and untidy archaeologist, in England, by John Trench

Peter Cotton: British economic warfare agent in the mid to late 1940s, by Aly Monroe

Maureen Coughlin: 29-year-old cocktail waitress at The Narrows bar, on Staten Island, New York, by Bill Loehfelm

Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges: Chief of Police in St. Denis, in the Périgord region of southwestern France, by Martin Walker

Bryson Coventry: homicide detective in Denver, Colorado, by Jim Michael Hansen

Grace “Candi” Covington: (Mama) African-American county social worker in Otis, South Carolina, and her daughter Simone Covington, a paralegal in Atlanta, Georgia, by Nora Deloach

Brady Coyne: sports fisherman and lawyer, in Boston, Massachusetts, by William G. Tapply

Danny Coyle: a gambler by Judson Philips

Tempe Crabtree: woman deputy torn between her Native American (Yanduchi) traditions and her loyalty to Hutch, her minister husband, in Bear Creek, California, by Marilyn Meredith

Samuel Craddock: former chief of police in the fictional town of Jarrett Creek, in central Texas, by Terry Shames

Carl Crader and Earl Jazine, computer cops in the future, by Edward D. Hoch

Alan Craig: ex-Scotland Yard detective, now a private enquiry agent, in England, by Malcolm Gray (Ian Stuart)

Melissa Craig: British crime novelist in the Cotswolds, England, by Betty Rowlands

John Craig: violent but ethical British Intelligence agent working for Department K, by James Munro (James Mitchell)

Katharine Craig, a sculptor, and Kevin Bryce, an ex-sheriff’s detective, in Lake Tahoe, California, by Deborah Valentine

Peter Craig: British Diplomatic Corps Overseas Police Advisor, by Kenneth Benton

Titus Cragg, a coroner, and Luke Fidelis, a doctor, in 1740s Lancashire, England, by Robin Blake

Alan Craik: young USA Navy Intelligence officer on assignments around the world, by Gordon Kent

Inspector Crambo: by Julian Symons

Ben Crandel: pornographic novel author and amateur detective, in Los Angeles, California, by Murray Sinclair

Bill Crane: private detective in Chicago, Illinois, by Jonathan Latimer

Mary Alice “Sister” Crane: who out-lived three husbands, and Patricia Anne “Mouse” Hollowell, a retired English teacher, in Alabama, in the Southern Sisters mysteries, by Anne George

Ruby Crane: handwriting analyst in Michigan, by Jo Dereske

Crang: lawyer and jazz buff, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by Jack Batten

Steve Cranmer: ex-cop who walks with a cane, now a private investigator, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, by Steve Knickmeyer

John Cranston: a coroner, and Brother Athelstan, a Dominican monk, in 14th century London, England, by Paul Harding

Bess Crawford: British army nurse in WWI, by Charles Todd

Thea Crawford: archaeology professor in England, by Jessica Mann

Nick Craven: of the Special X department of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by Michael Slade

Ray Crawley: Federal Security Agency director in Sydney, Australia, by Peter Corris

Creasy: American middle-aged, broken down, ex-marine, and retired mercenary, by A.J. Quinnell

Richard Cribb: policeman in Victorian London, England, by Peter Lovesey

Dr. Anya Crichton: forensic pathologist in Sydney, Australia, by Kathryn Fox

Tessa Crichton: actress and sleuth in England, by Anne Morice

Winston Crisp: retired National Security code-breaker, on Penobscot Island, Maine, in the Maine Island mysteries by David A. Crossman

Fey Croaker: a 40-something homicide cop in Los Angeles, California by Paul Bishop

Joshua Croft: wise-cracking private investigator, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by Walter Satterthwait

Mike Croft: detective inspector in Norfolk, England, by Jane Adams

Sam Crombie: plodding, methodical detective, by George Harmon Coxe

Arthur G. Crook: fat, beer-drinking Cockney barrister in London, England, by Anthony Gilbert

Alex Cross: psychologist and homicide cop, in Washington DC, by James Patterson

Madison Cross: former star medical student with the Crime Scenes Unit, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by D.H. Dublin

Tracy Crosswhite: homicide detective in Seattle, Washington, by Robert Dugoni

Joe Crow: one of a group of small town gamblers in Minnesota, by Peter Hautman

John Crow: British police inspector in England, by Roy Lewis

Mary Crow: half Cherokee assistant district attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, by Sallie Bissell

George Crowder: an attorney by Hugh Pentecost (Judson Philips)

Lauren Crowder: attorney, and Alan Gregory, a clinical psychologist, in Boulder, Colorado, by Stephen White

Stella Crown: Harley-riding dairy farmer, in Pennsylvania, by Judy Clemens

Gregory Crowne: former Crown Prince Gregory of Hirtenstein, a classical music event organizer, in Europe, by Tessa Barclay

John Crown: chief superintendent of police in Macao and China, by Terry Harknett

Rachel Crowne: free-lance journalist in Vermont, by Ellen Rawlings

Crowner John: Sir John de Wolfe, the crowner (coroner), in 12th century Devon, England, by Bernard Knight

Myrtle Crumb: 60-something sleuth, in southwest Virginia, by Gayle Trent

Edwina Crusoe: registered nurse at Chelsea Memorial Hospital, and later a medical investigator, in New Haven, Connecticut, by Mary Kittredge

Carlos Cruz: homicide detective in Oakland, California, by Marilyn Wallace

Lola Cruz: budding private investigator at Camacho and Associates, in Sacramento, California, by Misa Ramirez

CSI: (TV Tie-in) Crime scene investigators, in either Las Vegas, Nevada, or Miami, Florida, by Max Allan Collins

John Francis Cuddy: Army police lieutenant turned private investigator, in Boston, Massachusetts, by Jeremiah Healy

Willie Cuesta: private investigator based in the Little Havana section of Miami, Florida, by John Lantigua

Hew Cullan: young lawyer, starting in 1579 St. Andrews, Scotland, by Shirley McKay

Wanda Nell Culpepper: over-worked single mother, in Tullahoma, Mississippi, in the Trailer Park mysteries by Jimmie Ruth Evans (Dean James)

David Cunane: private investigator, and son of a cop, in Manchester, England, by Frank Lean

Malgwyn ap Cuneglas: one-armed soldier and counselor to Arthur, in 5th century Britain, by Tony Hays

Gil Cunningham: notary in 15th century Glasgow, Scotland, by Pat McIntosh

John Cunningham: hunting dog breeder in Scotland, by Gerald Hammond

Thomas Curry: ex-lawyer, and Sandrine Cadette Curry, a Girl Friday, in a law firm in 1960s New York City by Michael Bowen

Anna Curtis: sex crimes prosecutor in the US Attorney’s office in Washington, DC, by Allison Leotta

Dana Cutler: private detective in Washington DC, and Brad Miller, a law clerk in Oregon, by Phillip Margolin

Madeira Cutler: proprietor of a vintage clothing store in a former morgue in Mystick Falls, Connecticut, in the Vintage Magic mysteries by Annette Blair

Fifi Cutter: bi-racial, 20-something, freelance insurance investigator, in Los Angeles, California, by Gwen Freeman

Adam Cyber, a superman from the future, and Jason Starr, a genius and discredited scientist, by Peter Heath