Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • 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.

    Further reading

  • Siv Dahlin

    Female

    After her divorce, assistant nurse Siv Dahlin leaves Gothenburg and works in lowly-paid jobs in rural areas in Sweden, including Dalarna. She is middle-aged and struggling with a tendency to put on weight. But she is also wise and observant, and when sudden deaths occur in the books by Aino Trosell, Siv Dahlin fortunately doesn’t always rely on the conclusions drawn by the authorities, but always carries out her own investigations.

    Further reading

  • Martine Poirot

    Female

    An investigating judge in the fictive little Belgian town Villette-sur-Meuse, where she lives with her husband, the Swedish Professor Thomas Héger, a specialist in Medieval History, and (eventually) their two children. Martine Poirot – the author Ingrid Hedström is very fond of whodunnnits à la Agatha Christie – is 34 years old when we meet her for the first time. She is attractive and picks her clothes carefully as well as being a skilful and stubborn crime investigator.

    Further reading

  • Martin Holmberg

    Male

    An experienced and calm detective inspector in Lund, southern Sweden. After a first unhappy marriage with a frigid woman, he is now happily married to Kerstin, with whom he has four children. Martin Holmberg is a chain smoker and the central character in a police collective. He has a good relationship with his superior officers, first Bengt Thorén, later Seved Olofsson – as well as Stefan Elg and his other colleagues in the town of Himmelsholm.

    Further reading