Why aren't detective stories written in the protagonist's POV?

Question

I've noticed that successful detective stories are, nearly always, not written in the point of view of the detective himself. The protagonist (i.e. the ingenious detective at the heart of the story) is usually referred to by his sidekick or one of his closest friends. Does it have anything to do with spoiling the suspense gradually building up? Or is it that revealing the detective's thoughts would give us a deeper insight into the mystery? Most probably, this makes for a better and a more tension-packed climax. Is this why we always get to know the fascinating details of the mystery at the very end? **Just why exactly aren't more detective stories written in the point of view of the protagonist?**

Answer 1

It's just the author's choice because the style of writing is very different for the two. I personally think the first person narrative is more difficult to write in any genre, but I like them the best because I like to "listen" to what's going on in their heads. My favorite classic authors who write first person detective stories are Raymond Chandler and Walter Mosley. However, there are many others.