Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Lindsay Gordon

    Female

    Lindsay Gordon is a hardboiled, cynical, lesbian crime reporter and the protagonist of half a dozen novels by Val McDermid. She is a Socialist, feminist jazz lover who tries to cut down on her cigarette and whiskey consumption. Her unorthodox methods are not always appreciated, especially not by the police, but that does not stop her from continuing to harass them.

    Further reading

  • Anna Pigeon

    Female

    Anna Pigeon is a US national park ranger, which is also the profession of her creator, the author Nevada Barr. Pigeon has a complex background that includes periods of substance abuse, and she has a complicated love life. She used to live in New York, but because of her profession she moves around a great deal. She loves animals and she is an active environmentalist.

    Further reading

  • John H. Watson

    Male

    Sherlock Holmes’ chronicler and permanent companion in the stories by A. Conan Doyle has given his name to a particular type of character in crime fiction: a detective’s right hand, conversational partner and admiring friend is called ‘a Watson figure’. In books by other authors, Dr Watson has solved cases by himself. The ‘H’ in his name (according to Sherlockian research) stands for Hamish, the Scottish for James.

    Further reading

  • Petra Connor

    Female

    She is beautiful, slim, with black hair and black eyes – and is a tough and good murder investigator. Connor is employed by the Los Angeles homicide squad, and she cooperates with author Jonathan Kellerman’s main character Alex Delaware in several of his cases. She is herself also the main character in two novels. But she has a background she doesn’t like to talk about, and her private life is pretty messy, to put it mildly.

    Further reading