Meny

Literary figures

Sample of literary figures

  • Judy Hammer

    Female

    Superintendent Judy Hammer is head of a police department in North Carolina, Virginia, where she has to deal with both city crime and stubborn islanders in a short suite of novels by Patricia Cornwell. Hammer is a middle-aged, unhappily married but very fond of her young colleague Andy Brazil, who becomes her right hand. In the books about them, realistic police work is combined with some less realistic elements.

    Further reading

  • Harry Bosch

    Male

    He is actually called Hieronymus Bosch, but calls himself – for understandable reasons – Harry. His mother was a prostitute and was murdered; his father is a well-known lawyer whom he first met as an adult. Harry Bosch was a soldier and then became a police officer, mainly in Los Angeles. And he was also the main character in a whole row of detective stories by Michael Connelly.

    Further reading

  • Oliver Stone

    Male

    He is actually called John Carr, and was once the most feared security agent in the USA. After he killed the men who murdered his wife, he became the most hunted man in the USA, went underground and changed his name, says David Baldacci. Now the tall and slim Oliver Stone is old and has greyish-white hair, but is also the leader of the secret private organisation the Camel Club which combats primarily political crimes.

    Further reading

  • Karen Pirie

    Female

    She is an overweight workaholic, but also exceptionally skilful when it comes to investigating old, unsolved cases in police novels by Val McDermid. Karen Pirie is the head of the Historic Cases Unit with its head office in Fife in Scotland. Her private life is minimal – but includes a sweetheart, her colleague Phil Parhatka, and she mourns deeply when he is killed on duty. But she soon throws herself into the next ‘cold case’.

    Further reading