I grew up on Columbo as portrayed by the late Peter Falk. He was a comforting presence to any kid. The rumpled, squinty-eyed detective was always just shrewd enough to expose and nab the bad guy. He was always telling a story about "Mrs. Columbo," all the time suckering the suspect in before he lowered the boom.

It'd be great fun to write a police detective like Columbo. He's a delightful protagonist that everybody loved.

We can only believe he's in a better place where police detectives aren't required to work so hard as they do.

By Ed Lynskey
Twitter: @edlynskey
Author of Lake Charles
"I had a blast."
Ransom Notes: Barnes & Noble Mystery Blog