Meny

Literary figures

Sample of literary figures

  • Kurt Wallander

    Male

    Wallander lives and works in Ystad, southern Sweden. But it does not prevent him from leading investigations of especially difficult cases, chasing serial killers and international criminals. Through Henning Mankell’s books as well as adaptations for film and television, he has become a popular figure and one of Sweden’s best-known fictional characters worldwide.

    Further reading

  • Jackson Brodie

    Male

    He is a middle-aged divorced detective, former soldier and police officer, born in Yorkshire but living in London despite the fact that he has never liked southern England. So he is happy to travel north, and some of Kate Atkinson’s novels about him are set in Scotland. Jackson Brodie’s strength as a detective does not lie in logical reasoning, but in his empathy with the afflicted: the victims of crime and their loved ones.

    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

  • Molly Cates

    Female

    A competent professional middle-aged investigative crime journalist, single mother and author. Molly Cates is primarily driven by a strong passion for justice. She works hard at her job, and even though she is attractive and men like her, all of her relationships have quickly broken up. One reason for this – according to author Mary Willis Walker – is that Cates is convinced that her father has been murdered.

    Further reading