Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Lennart Kollberg

    Male

    Martin Beck’s second-in-command and good friend in the books by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö is Lennart Kollberg, a bohemian, overweight (but in good physical trim) former paratrooper, conscientious objector and Marxist who finally tires of his job in the police and give his notice. Kollberg has two major interests in life: food and his family; his 14-year younger wife, Gun – with whom he often enjoys making love – and their two children.

    Further reading

  • Jonny Lilja

    Male

    He is a police officer, but also a gambling addict which means he has to help the mafia. That is not the only problem for Detective Inspector Jonny Lilja in Malmö. When his ex-wife Lena is murdered, he becomes a suspect. However, he pulls himself together, stops gambling and then moves in with his adoptive daughter, Maria. He is, according to author Olle Lönneaus, middle-aged, a bit shabby-looking, with a lined face and wide mouth.

    Further reading

  • Svend Foyn

    Male

    Lawyer and a skilled amateur detective who lives in the Norwegian town of Tønsberg, like his creator Jan Mehlum. Svend Foyn is divorced and has a teenaged daughter, loves music and books and easily becomes sentimental. His appearance is not particularly noticeable, but he is quite tall – more than 190 cm – and struggles to hold his weight under 90 kilos. His best female friend is Hulda – a Saint Bernhard dog.

    Further reading

  • Jackson Brodie

    Male

    He is a middle-aged divorced detective, former soldier and police officer, born in Yorkshire but living in London despite the fact that he has never liked southern England. So he is happy to travel north, and some of Kate Atkinson’s novels about him are set in Scotland. Jackson Brodie’s strength as a detective does not lie in logical reasoning, but in his empathy with the afflicted: the victims of crime and their loved ones.

    Further reading