Sample of literary figures
-
Paul Hjelm
Male
Police officer in Huddinge, Stockholm, who was wrongly suspended and then transferred to the Swedish Police Board’s special A-group unit where he became a central figure. When the group is split up, Paul Hjelm and some of the others are transferred to an international force OPCOP. He is married to Cilla and the couple have two children. The books about him are written by Arne Dahl (pseudonym for Jan Arnald).
-
Dave Gurney
Male
A well-built police detective in New York who commands respect, renowned for having caught several serial murderers, who retires already when he is about 50 years old. He moves to the countryside with his wife Madeleine and their son, but can’t resist from privately investigating murders. He admits that this affects his family life, and thus always has a bad conscience, according to his creator John Verdon.
-
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>.
-
Barlach
Male
Although he only features in two (short) novels by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Inspector Barlach – no first name is ever mentioned – is one of the most famous policemen in literature. He is old, worn out and unmarried, works in the police force in Bern and has stomach cancer, which he knows will lead to his death within a year. With his great knowledge of human nature and his intuition, he works on his investigations.