Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Ben Cooper

    Male

    Cooper’s father was a policeman and Benjamin, or Ben, followed in his footsteps. He works at the Derbyshire police. Cooper grew up in Derbyshire and many of his investigations take place in the Peak District. He usually works alongside his superior officer, Diane Fry. In Stephen Booth’s novels they are in love; a fact they both refuse to admit it even to themselves.

    Further reading

  • Gunnarstranda

    Male

    Detective Inspector Gunnarstranda – his first name is never mentioned – is a middle-aged man who smokes too much. He works for the Oslo police and solves crime in a string of books by the Norwegian author Kjell Ola Dahl. Gunnarstranda can be cynical and disillusioned, but he is also kind and helpful. He general works alongside his seargeant, Frank Frølich.

    Further reading

  • 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

  • Kate Brannigan

    Female

    Kate Brannigan is a private detective at Mortensen & Brannigan in Manchester. According to the author, Val McDermid, she dropped out of law school. Brannigan is a tough, quick-witted, independent woman with a great deal of integrity. She refuses to move in with her music journalist partner who lives next-door. She never gives up a case, not even when all the odds are against her.

    Further reading