Amateurs' professions

Three months ago, I posted a comment about amateur sleuths. "What professions are naturals for future crime novels?" I asked. "What sorts of workers who have not yet been protagonists of crime stories would make good fictional sleuths?"

Since then, the roster of suggested or realized fictional sleuths I have come across includes dentists, political minders, real estate agents and strippers. I leave it to your imagination to figure out what, if anything, these professions have in common.

In the meantime, I'll expand on my earlier questions. What professions are natural for future crime-fiction protagonists -- and what weird or unexpected sleuth professions can you think of? Interpret profession as loosely as you'd like to. In fact, I'll start you off: Samuel L. Jackson's schizophrenic street person/concert-caliber pianist in The Caveman's Valentine. OK, the movie was pretty bad, but its protagonist had an unusual line of work.

© Peter Rozovsky 2007