Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Irene Huss

    Female

    Inspector Irene Huss lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. She is married to a chef and she is the mother of twins, two teenage girls that now and then annoy their parents by taking an interest in neo-Nazism or vegan food. Huss is struggling to get ahead in a male-dominated profession. Her creator, Helen Tursten, has made her a European ju-jitsu champion, which occasionally comes in useful.

    Further reading

  • Dave Gurney

    Male

    A well-built police detective in New York who commands respect, renowned for having caught several serial murderers, who retires already when he is about 50 years old. He moves to the countryside with his wife Madeleine and their son, but can’t resist from privately investigating murders. He admits that this affects his family life, and thus always has a bad conscience, according to his creator John Verdon.

    Further reading

  • Kay Scarpetta

    Female

    Patricia Cornwell’s protagonist is a forensic scientist based in Virginia, USA. She has been described as just over forty years old, blond with several love interests and a few female competitors who do not appreciate her confidence. She is a highly competent forensic investigator and crack shot, which is useful since she is often under threat. Scarpetta likes to cook in her spare time.

    Further reading

  • William of Baskerville

    Male

    The British Franciscan monk from Baskerville is the main character in just one novel – on the other hand, it is the classic <i>The Name of the Rose</i> by Umberto Eco. It is not just the name Baskerville which makes one think of Sherlock Holmes: William’s own ‘Watson’, Adso, describes him as tall, thin, strong, supple, with a crooked nose and sharp eyes, and aged around fifty. And who was a brilliant logician as early as the 14th century…

    Further reading