Photo: Jane Mingay / AP Photo/TT (2005)
Sample of authors
Rendell, Ruth
The British crime writer Ruth Rendell was born in London as Ruth Barbara Graseman. Her mother was of Scandinavian origin and her father a former shipyard worker in Plymouth who was able to train as a technology and mathematics teacher as an adult. Ruth Rendell attended the County High School for Girls in Loughton, Essex. She was a feature writer and deputy editor at a number of local newspapers...
Literary figures
Cliff Hardy
Gender: Male
Hard-boiled private detective in Sydney. Cliff Hardy was born in a poor working-class family, dropped out of his university studies and was an investigator for an insurance company before opening his own detective agency. Despite the fact that he usually dresses in shabby jeans and a leather jacket, he has many wealthy clients. He is a big man and in good condition, with coarse black hair and a...