Meny

Literary figures

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).

    Further reading

  • Hafez el-Assad

    Male

    He is simply called Assad by his colleagues in the crime novels by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. Despite lacking formal qualifications, he is employed in the police department’s so-called ‘cold-case’ group. He generously shares of his knowledge of, for example, various types of weapons, but is not keen to talk about himself. Assad has his roots in an Arab country, probably Syria, and has certain difficulties with the Danish language.

    Further reading

  • Evert Backstrom

    Male

    Backstrom is a homophobic, sexist, chauvinist, corrupt, egocentric, complacent, drinking police inspector that looks down on most of his colleagues and fellow human beings. At the same time he is a (to say the least) unconventional and surprisingly good investigator. He appears in more or less prominent roles in a string of police novels by Leif G.W. Persson.

    Further reading

  • John Rebus

    Male

    Rebus is a Scottish detective who usually works in Edinburgh where most of Ian Rankin’s novels about him are set. Rebus is a loner with cooperation issues and he is not always popular with his superiors. He has a drinking problem, he was born in Cardenden, Fife, in 1947 and he has no interest in politics. Rebus eventually retires from his job, but returns to join a cold case team.

    Further reading