Meny

Literary figures

Sample of literary figures

  • 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

  • Kathy Mallory

    Female

    Kathleen ‘Kathy’ Mallory is a tall, green-eyed, beautiful blonde. She is also – according to her creator Carol O’Connell – a sociopath who can be both callous and ruthless. At the age of six, after witnessing the murder of her mother Kathy Mallory, she lived on the streets until she was adopted by a police officer. Encouraged by him, she becomes a police detective. She doesn’t lack admirers, but lives on her own.

    Further reading

  • Tom Reynolds

    Male

    A friendly, calm and humorous police detective in Dublin, who leads the investigations into brutal murders in books by Jo Spain. He is between 40 and 50 years old, with a slightly crooked nose and black hair going grey, and he is happily married to Louise: they have a daughter together, Maria, who is not entirely without problems. Tom Reynolds’ personality is based on the author’s husband, Martin, who is a journalist, however, not a police officer.

    Further reading

  • C.W. Sughrue

    Male

    C.W. stands for Chauncey Wayne, but not many people know that. He is a private detective in Meriweather i Montana – where also author James Crumley’s other private detective, Milo Milodragovitch, is found. C.W. is a shabby war veteran and drug-abuser, always ready to resort to violence and he admits himself that he is “a mean son of a bitch”. He solves cases in his own way, is heavy-handed but effective.

    Further reading