Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Alan Banks

    Male

    Detective Inspector Banks works in the fictional town of Eastvale in Swainsdale, a fictional region based on Yorkshire. He is the calm and systematic protagonist in a series of novels and short stories by the British author Peter Robinson. DI Banks likes model railways, sixties rock and his colleague Annie Cabbot, with whom he has had an off and on relationship after divorcing his wife Sandra.

    Further reading

  • Steve Carella

    Male

    A central figure in Ed McBain’s (pseudonym for Evan Hunter) books about the 87th police district in Isola is Stephen ‘Steve’ Carella. He is of Italian extraction, and in one of the early books he marries the beautiful and deaf-mute Theodora ‘Teddy’ Franklin, with whom he has twin sons. Detective Carella is tall, dark and muscular without being athletic; he gives an impression of strength and energy.

    Further reading

  • Gerlof Davidson

    Male

    He is a former sea captain, now more than 80 years old, and in need of a walking stick as well as a hearing aid in his daily life. But there is nothing wrong with his memory and deductive reasoning. Old Gerlof – loosely based on author Johan Theorin’s grandfather Ellert Gerlofsson – is the main character, if not always the real problem-solver, in four lauded detective stories set in an Öland island environment with suggested supernatural elements.

    Further reading

  • Siv Dahlin

    Female

    After her divorce, assistant nurse Siv Dahlin leaves Gothenburg and works in lowly-paid jobs in rural areas in Sweden, including Dalarna. She is middle-aged and struggling with a tendency to put on weight. But she is also wise and observant, and when sudden deaths occur in the books by Aino Trosell, Siv Dahlin fortunately doesn’t always rely on the conclusions drawn by the authorities, but always carries out her own investigations.

    Further reading