Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • John Dortmunder

    Male

    He is one of the most cunning thieves in the USA: he carefully plans the most fantastic coups, and has only been caught twice when he was young. Unfortunately, John Archibald Dortmunder is dogged with bad luck: his ingenious plans often go wrong at the last moment for the most incredible reasons. His adventures are described in more than a dozen entertaining – often farcical – novels by Donald E. Westlake.

    Further reading

  • Hafez el-Assad

    Male

    He is simply called Assad by his colleagues in the crime novels by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. Despite lacking formal qualifications, he is employed in the police department’s so-called ‘cold-case’ group. He generously shares of his knowledge of, for example, various types of weapons, but is not keen to talk about himself. Assad has his roots in an Arab country, probably Syria, and has certain difficulties with the Danish language.

    Further reading

  • Bo Jarnebring

    Male

    Inspector Jarnebring is from Dalarna county in Sweden, but he works in Stockholm. He is a former elite athlete. Jarnebring is divorced from his former wife Annika. They have two sons. He was introduced in Leif G. W. Persson’s "Grisfesten" and has subsequently had a number of more or less prominent roles in Persson’s novels. Jarnebring likes to work with his best friend Lars Martin Johansson.

    Further reading

  • Brother Cadfael

    Male

    Brother Cadfael is a former crusader who joined the Benedictines on his return to England. He is a herbalist at a monastery in Shrewsbury in Shropshire where he solves crime. These whodunits by Ellis Peters (a pen name used by Edith Pargeter) are set in England during the turbulent first half of the twelfth century. They have caused a major surge in popular interest in historical crime novels.

    Further reading