History Main / InterdisciplinarySleuth

This character is an expert, trained in some field where crime-fighting is not a usual goal. They however use this expertise to catch criminals, probably [[TheyFightCrime alongside]] [[OddCouple a more conventional]] DetectiveDrama hero (i.e., a [[FriendOnTheForce police officer]] or private investigator).

* In at least one of the ''Literature/LordPeterWimsey mysteries'', "The Bone of Contention," Lord Peter's hobby of bibliophily helps him gather evidence.

* In the ''Literature/MediochreQSethSeries'', Mediochre and Joseph are university professors and researchers in the fields of [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dracology]] and [[TheUndead zontanecrology]] respectively. Both, however, use their talents as 'slayer-catchers' on the side, tracking down people who kill dragons or undead.

* Series/JonathanCreek, an excellent inventor of magic tricks and an excellent detective.

[[folder: Comicbooks ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* ''The Magician''. Anthony Blake (Bill Bixby) uses his stage magician skills to solve crimes and help people.

* During her time with ''Comicbook/TheFantasticFour'', ComicBook/SheHulk investigated a photographer who was taking pics of her sunbathing on the Baxter Building by helicopter. At one point she commented, "Well, I'm a lawyer, which makes me 25% detective." When the sleaze-bag journalist told her that the pictures were being processed and the negatives were in his safe and that if she took the negatives, ''she'd'' be in violation of the law, she simply crushed the safe down to where it couldn't be opened by anyone. Unfortunately for the journalist, the lab color-corrected the prints, making it appear that She-Hulk was just an unnamed, tall woman, preserving her privacy, ''from a certain point of view''.

* Harry Dresden of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' is a wizard -- mixes up magic potions, summons demons, makes deals with faeries -- in a setting where [[WeirdnessCensor most people don't believe magic is real]]; he works as a freelance consultant for, among other things, the police, on cases with an occult or supernatural element.
** It is, however, noted that he had to go through quite a few lengths to become an OFFICIAL private investigator, including an apprenticeship. So, he's actually a qualified detective.

* Patrick Jane in ''Series/TheMentalist''.

* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' and WhiteCollar both feature thieves that use their skills to solve crimes. However the crew of Leverage generally commits crimes in the process while Neal is a consultant for the FBI. Also the villains of Leverage usually are in a position where normal law enforcement is unable to help.

[[AC:{{Comicbooks}}]]

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''Literature/FatherBrown''; the title character uses his priestly knowledge of human evil -- acquired mainly from hearing confessions — to help him solve crimes.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC: VideoGames]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:RealLife]]
* The FBI generally recruits people with skills outside law enforcement and trains them as opposed to taking trained former local officers.

* In at least one of the ''LordPeterWimsey mysteries'', "The Bone of Contention," Lord Peter's hobby of bibliophily helps him gather evidence.

* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' and WhiteCollar both feature thieves that use their skills to solve crimes. However the crew of Leverage generally commits crimes in the process while Neal is a consultant for the FBI. Also the villains of Leverage usually are in a position where normaml law enforcement is unable to help.

->''To be a real policeman\\

Just above the neck.''
-->''Courtesy is the Best Policy'', a tribute to the Newfoundland Ranger Force

The basic premise of ''VideoGame/NelsonTethersPuzzleAgent'' and its sequel is that the title character is the sole member of the FBI's Puzzle Division. While this sounds silly in principle, the game manages to make it at least partly justified for several reasons: firstly, because although solving puzzles is seldom integral to detective work, the same kind of analytical approach to problems is useful in some types of crime; secondly, the game works on the basis that the FBI is a VastBureaucracy and has a department for everything, just in case (one of Nelson's colleagues works in the department of Vegetable Crimes). Further, the plot centers around a town in which strange events have affected the minds of the citizens, making them obsessed with puzzles.

* During her time with ''Comicbook/TheFantasticFour'', SheHulk investigated a photographer who was taking pics of her sunbathing on the Baxter Building by helicopter. At one point she commented, "Well, I'm a lawyer, which makes me 25% detective." When the sleaze-bag journalist told her that the pictures were being processed and the negatives were in his safe and that if she took the negatives, ''she'd'' be in violation of the law, she simply crushed the safe down to where it couldn't be opened by anyone. Unfortunately for the journalist, the lab color-corrected the prints, making it appear that She-Hulk was just an unnamed, tall woman, preserving her privacy, ''from a certain point of view''.

* During her time with ''Comicbook/TheFantasticFour'', SheHulk investigated a photographer who was taking pics of her sunbathing on the Baxter Building by helicopter. At one point she commented, "Well, I'm a lawyer, which makes me 25% detective." When the sleaze-bag journalist told her that the pictures were being processed and the negatives were in his safe and that if she took the negatives, ''she'd'' be in violation of the law, she simply crushed the safe down to where it couldn't be opened by anyone. Unfortunately for the journalist, the lab color-corrected the prints, making it appear that She-Hulk was just an unnamed, tall woman, preserving her privacy, ''in a certain point of view''.

* ''Literature/FatherBrown''; the title character uses his priestly knowledge of human evil - acquired mainly from hearing confessions — to help him solve crimes.

* ''Surviving the Applewhites'' has an InUniverse example --Debbie Applewhite writes a series of books about a florist who solves mysteries.

* In Fred Vargas' novels, there's Matthias Delamarre, who is an archaeologist specializing in prehistory. Since he's exceptionally good at analyzing the soil (with nothing but his five senses), Adambserg enlists his help in ''This Night's Foul Work'', to investigate profaned graves. In a way, Danglard is an inversion : although he is a policeman, the vast expanse of knowledge he has accumulated in other fields (especially literature and history) is sometimes essential in solving the cases.

* Patrick Jane in ''{{The Mentalist}}''.
* Shawn Spencer in ''{{Psych}}'' doesn't really qualify, but his partner Gus's day job as a pharmaceutical rep occasionally helps solve the MysteryOfTheWeek.

* On ''TheXFiles'', Scully started out as a doctor before she switched tracks to the [=FBI=]. {{Fanon}} has Mulder starting out as a psychologist before a similar career shift, which isn't a huge leap since he's a behavioral profiler. It's just that the paranormal elements of most of their cases overshadows this skill.

* On ''TheXFiles'', Scully started out as a doctor before she switched tracks to the [=FBI=]. {{Fanon}} has Mulder starting out as a psychologist before a similar career shift.

** This at least is far more plausible then some variations of this trope. The RealLife FBI probably uses mathematicians too.

A subtrope of AmateurSleuth. Compare {{Superhero}} and TheExoticDetective. Contrast MundaneUtility. See also MysteryFiction.

* In {{Series/NCIS}}, only [=DiNozzo=] and Kate are from a law-enforcement background, him a cop, her a Secret Service agent. Gibbs is a former Marine sniper,[[hottip:*:The USMC is under the Department of the Navy, thus they use the same Criminal Investigative Service.]] [=McGee=]'s got degrees in computer science from MIT and biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins...and Ziva's an ex-Mossad assassin. Their respective backgrounds come up more often than you'd think.

* ''FatherBrown''; the title character uses his priestly knowledge of human evil—acquired mainly from hearing confessions—to help him solve crimes.

* In at least one of the LordPeterWimsey mysteries, "The Bone of Contention," Lord Peter's hobby of bibliophily helps him gather evidence.
* Harry Dresden of ''TheDresdenFiles'' is a wizard -- mixes up magic potions, summons demons, makes deals with faeries -- in a setting where [[WeirdnessCensor most people don't believe magic is real]]; he works as a freelance consultant for, among other things, the police, on cases with an occult or supernatural element.

* In the Literature/MediochreQSethSeries, Mediochre and Joseph are university professors and researchers in the fields of [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dracology]] and [[TheUndead zontanecrology]] respectively. Both, however, use their talents as 'slayer-catchers' on the side, tracking down people who kill dragons or undead.

* Much of the cast of ''{{Bones}}''. Brennan and Hodgins are both academics by training; Angela is an artist.
* Charlie Eppes of ''{{Numb3rs}}'' solves crimes with mathematics.

* Rick Castle of ''{{Castle}}'' solves crimes with GenreSavvy, being [[MostWritersAreWriters a mystery writer]].

* Literature/BrotherCadfael is a monk and apothecary.

* {{Leverage}} and WhiteCollar both feature thieves that use their skills to solve crimes. However the crew of Leverage generally commits crimes in the process while Neal is a consultant for the FBI. Also the villains of Leverage usually are in a position where normaml law enforcement is unable to help.