This list consists of fictional historical detectives, in chronological order of setting:
| Detective | Setting, Period | Creator | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordianus the Finder | Roman Republic, 1st Cen. BCE) | Steven Saylor | Roman Blood (1991) |
| Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger | Roman Republic, 1st Cen. BCE | John Maddox Roberts | SPQR (1990) |
| Marcus Didius Falco | Roman Empire, 1st Cen. CE | Lindsey Davis | the Silver Pigs (1989) |
| Judge Dee | China, 7th Cen. CE | Robert van Gulik | Di Gong An (1949 |
| Sister Fidelma | Ireland, 7th Cen. CE | Peter Tremayne | Absolution by Murder (1994) |
| Li Kao | China, 7th Cen. CE | Barry Hughart | Bridge of Birds (1984) |
| Brother Cadfael | Wales, 12th Cen. CE | Ellis Peters | a Morbid Taste for Bones (1977) |
| Brother William of Baskerville | Italy, 1327 CE | Umberto Eco | The Name of the Rose (1980) |
| Brother Athelstan | London, 1376 CE | P. C. Doherty | the Nightingale Gallery (1991) |
| Matthew Shardlake | London, 1537 CE | C. J. Sansom | Dissolution (2003) |
| Roxanne Todd | Philadelphia, 1871 CE | Emma Regan | |
| Sherlock Holmes | London, 1881 CE | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | A Study in Scarlet (1886) |