Sample of literary figures
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Derek Strange
Male
Former police officer who has made a career change and become a private detective in a suite of novels by George P. Pelecanos. He is well-built, with grey hair and beard, and loves music. He has a sporadic relationship with his assistant Janine Baker, and is a ‘reserve dad’ for her son, Lionel. Derek Strange lives alone with his dog, Greco, a boxer. He is sometimes greatly helped by another former police officer, Terry Quinn.
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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.
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Gideon Fell
Male
The enormous Dr Fell, whose physical traits are modelled on G.K. Chesterton, is one of crime fiction’s foremost problem-solvers when it comes to ‘locked-room’ mysteries and other ‘impossible’ crimes. He also works on an ever-growing doctoral thesis about English drinking habits from bygone days, he likes his beer and is married – although his wife is only mentioned in a few of John Dickson Carr’s books about him.
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Thomas Carnacki
Male
English private detective who has certain similarities with Sherlock Holmes. Thomas Carnacki (his first name is rarely mentioned) doesn’t, however, only chase ordinary criminals, but also ghosts and other supernatural beings. He tells some friends about his cases while he keenly smokes his pipe. William Hope Hodgson only wrote nine short stories about Carnacki, but that sufficed to make the character classic.