Edmund Crispin's books are great and have a wonderful main characters Gervase Fen.
Gervase Fen is an Oxford don, who is Professor of English Language and Literature and fellow of the fictional St Christopher’s College. Fen is as eccentric as they come, combining a peculiar range of character traits with a particular penchant for alcohol. His normal attire of choice is an enormous raincoat, paired with extraordinary hats. Crispin reportedly based the renegade don upon the Oxford professor W.E. Moore. The exploits of this unlikely, though eloquent detective are guaranteed to provide amusement.
Vintage already has published three novels starring Gervase Fen:
Holy Disorders
Love Lies Bleeding
The Moving Toyshop
My favourite is The Moving Toyshop and we have three more coming out in October 2009. Look out for them.
