Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Nero Wolfe

    Male

    Nero Wolfe is one of the largest detectives in crime fiction – he weighs almost 150 kilos. Wolfe loves food, orchids and books. Created by Rex Stout, he is a classic crime fiction detective that lives in a New York brownstone. Rumour has it that he is Sherlock Holmes’s son. He has roots in Montenegro and at his side is his trusted secretary, Archie Goodwin, who makes sure that he stays on the job.

    Further reading

  • Erlendur

    Male

    A detective inspector in Reykjavík, and the main character in a row of police novels by Arnaldur Indriðason. Erlendur – his surname, Sveinsson, is rarely named as is customary in Iceland – is a skilful and empathetic police officer, but rather tired and sometimes anxiety-ridden. One reason is that he left his family when the children were small, for reasons that he can’t himself remember. His ex-wife still hates him for this, and both his son and his daughter ended up abusing drugs.

    Further reading

  • Diane Fry

    Female

    Detective Diane Fry, who features in a string of novels by Stephen Booth, is a competent investigator, but under the surface she is an insecure and vulnerable woman. She has a complicated relationship with Ben Cooper, one of her subordinates at the police station in the fictional town of Edendale in Derbyshire’s Peak District. They neither can or want to admit that they are in love.

    Further reading

  • Beate Stein

    Female

    A young police detective in Dortmund, blond and with green eyes, and tough enough (or more than so) to survive and thrive in a male-dominated workplace. Beate Stein is a heterosexual feminist who prefers to put men behind bars rather than women, but she never cheats in her work. Through the books by Sabine Deitmer, she has become something of a figurehead for what is known as <i>Frauen-Krimis</i>.

    Further reading