Sample of literary figures
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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.
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Dave Robicheaux
Male
After having been a soldier in Vietnam and a detective in New Orleans, he struggled for many years with his addiction to alcohol. He managed it, and became a boat renter and a private detective in Louisiana. Time after time, he is caught up in murder cases, described in a long row of novels by James Lee Burke. The middle-aged Dave Robicheaux has married three times: his first wife was murdered, the second died from tuberculosis.
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Erlendur
Male
A detective inspector in Reykjavík, and the main character in a row of police novels by Arnaldur Indriðason. Erlendur – his surname, Sveinsson, is rarely named as is customary in Iceland – is a skilful and empathetic police officer, but rather tired and sometimes anxiety-ridden. One reason is that he left his family when the children were small, for reasons that he can’t himself remember. His ex-wife still hates him for this, and both his son and his daughter ended up abusing drugs.
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Benny Griessel
Male
He is a middle-aged detective with the Cape Town police, is of average height with greying untidy hair, a rugged face and a Slavic appearance. Benny Griessel does, however, have problems. He boozes – which is why his wife and their two children throw him out, and he finds a new partner. He struggles determinedly against his alcoholism, author Deon Meyer tells us, and he embarks upon a relationship with singer Alexa.