Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Christer Wijk

    Male

    Inspector Wijk is one of the best-known criminal investigators in Swedish crime fiction. He was born and raised in the fictional town of Skoga (based on the town of Nora in author Maria Lang’s mystery stories); it is there and in Stockholm that he solves most of his cases. He is close to his mother, who still lives in Skoga, and he later marries the singer Camilla Martin – a marriage that is not without problems.

    Further reading

  • Varg Veum

    Male

    With his books about the private detective Varg Veum, author Gunnar Staalesen transferred American hardboiled noir to a Scandinavian setting – Bergen in Norway. Veum is one of the best-known fictional characters in Norway; he features in several television productions as well as a comic strip. He operates in widely different social settings and is prone to commenting on current affairs.

    Further reading

  • Kristina Vendel

    Female

    Female detective inspector with the police in Huddinge, Stockholm. Her father had fled from East Germany to Sweden; Kristina Vendel’s marriage to Johan is in trouble and eventually breaks up. She has light hair, grey-green eyes, and studied Philosophy before she started at Police College. She has a tough time at work, and is often abused in several ways, Theodor Kallifatides tells us.

    Further reading

  • Myron Bolitar

    Male

    Promising, attractive basketball player, who damaged his knee and instead sports agent – and an amateur detective. Myran Bolitar solves a row of murder cases, which usually take place in sports circles, in books by Harlan Coben. He often has girlfriends (but only one at a time) as assistants. He also has a nephew, Mickey, who solves cases in a handful of detective stories for young adults in which his uncle features as a minor character.

    Further reading