 First edition | |
| Author | Douglas Adams |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Dirk Gently |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | UK: William Heinemann Ltd., US: Pocket Books |
Publication date | 1987 |
| Publication place | England |
| Media type | Print (paperback and hardcover), audiobook (cassette and compact disc) |
| Pages | 306 (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | 0-671-69267-4 |
| OCLC | 320855177 |
| Followed by | The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul |
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a humorous detective novel by English writer Douglas Adams, published in 1987. It is described by the author on its cover as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic".
The book was followed by a sequel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. The recurring major characters are the eponymous Dirk Gently, his secretary Janice Pearce and Sergeant Gilks. Adams began work on another novel, The Salmon of Doubt, with the intention of publishing it as the third book in the series, but died before completing it.
A BBC Radio 4 adaptation of six episodes was broadcast from October 2007. A second series based on the sequel was broadcast from October 2008. A 2010 television adaptation for BBC Four borrowed some of the characters and some minor plot elements of the novel to create a new story, and a 2016 television adaptation for BBC America served as a continuation of the books.