Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Kay Scarpetta

    Female

    Patricia Cornwell’s protagonist is a forensic scientist based in Virginia, USA. She has been described as just over forty years old, blond with several love interests and a few female competitors who do not appreciate her confidence. She is a highly competent forensic investigator and crack shot, which is useful since she is often under threat. Scarpetta likes to cook in her spare time.

    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

  • Nestor Burma

    Male

    Private eye Nestor Burma is a famous character in French 20th century crime fiction. He runs his own detective agency, Fiat Lux, in Paris with his secretary Hélène Chatelain, who is hopelessly in love with him. They feature in a string of hardboiled, humorous books by Léo Malet. Burma also features in films, television dramas and a cartoon.

    Further reading

  • Andy Brazil

    Male

    When he appears for the first time, Andrew ”Andy” Brazil is 22 years old and an up and coming news reporter working with the police. In the second book he has been promoted to state trooper working closely together with the middle-aged chief of police, Judy Hammer. The books by the American author Patricia Cornwell are set in North Carolina and Virginia.

    Further reading