Sample of literary figures
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Conny Sjöberg
Male
As an experienced detective chief inspector with Hammarby Police in Stockholm, he leads a well-coordinated team of murder investigators who, for example, deal with cases where children have been hurt. Conny Sjöberg is a middle-aged, unusually ordinary man, happily married to Åsa; they have five children. He is described as handsome, empathetic, sensitive and honest. According to author Carin Gerhardsen, he is partly modelled on her husband Ken.
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Mma Ramotswe
Female
In Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, Mma Precious Ramotswe runs The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. The cases she works with, don’t usually concern major crimes, but are more about solving everyday problems for the clients. Mma Ratmotswe loves tea and her husband, the kind J.L.B. Matekoni, as well as their two adoptive children: all tenderly described by the Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith.
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Lisbeth Salander
Female
A young punk rocker, computer hacker and cracker with a troubled past, including a spell at a psychiatric ward. She is one of Sweden’s best-known female characters internationally. Salander is the protagonist of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy and the official sequel. She is a highly organized woman on the left of the political spectrum, and when she needs to she is an efficient action heroine.
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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.