Meny

Literary figures

Sample of literary figures

  • Gavin Troy

    Male

    Troy is a detective in the fictive English county of Midsomer, and Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby’s right hand. In Caroline Graham’s novel, Tory is a clever and intelligent police officer, but his prejudices – he is, for example, a homophobe – and rather abrupt manner speak against him. In the TV series <i>Midsomer Murders</i>, his personality has been ‘corrected’ and he is decidedly more sympathetic, and is still a skilled investigator.

    Further reading

  • Van Veeteren

    Male

    Despite his successful career as a detective chief inspector, he tires of his job, and starts afresh as an antiquarian bookseller. But he continues to play an important role in Håkans Nesser’s books about the police in Maardam. Van Veeteren is a well-built and heavy man, he has a bass voice, is divorced and has been operated for stomach cancer. He is very fond of classical music and dark beer, and likes to chew on a toothpick.

    Further reading

  • Sergeant Santos

    Male

    It is not clear what Santos’ first name is. He is the head of the police department in a little community outside the city of Salvador in Brazil, where his creator, Kjell Eriksson, also lives nowadays. Santos’ stout wife is called Zelita and they have five children together. Hardened by the corruption in his native country, he prefers to drink beer and lie in his hammock, but now and then he is obliged to work – and then he is very successful.

    Further reading

  • Eva Ström

    Female

    An energetic young detective inspector, born in Vietnam and adopted in Sweden. Eva Ström had a difficult childhood, but trained to become a police officer, and started to work in Ystad. She is later transferred to Malmö. She works in tandem with Jonny Lilja in the books by Olle Lönnaeus. She lifts weights at the gym, has a compact body, a wide face with slanting eyes, and lives together with her girlfriend Britt in a house in the countryside.

    Further reading