Adolf Gunnarson

Adolf Gunnarson is a detective of Swedish descent living in London.

The Literary Mosaic series primarily follows his adventures as he solves mysteries around London, and other parts of England.

As an unofficial detective, he doesn't work for Scotland Yard, but they do call on him every now and then when they are stumped with cases they cannot figure out.

His approach to casework is unorthodox, but it works in some cases. He focuses on what he calls the trifecta- Means, Motive and Opportunity. Though sometimes he gets so caught up in hunches and theories he forgets about evidence and his trifecta, earning him much scorn from Crown Prosecutor Henry Taylor and Detective Michael Walton. Furious at "having zero credibility and nonexistent credentials," the Assassin case was the final straw for Taylor, and in Literary Mosaic V he brought Gunnarson to court to make him answer for his "crimes" as he saw it. Intervention from Dr. Gunther Drugg though, caused the case to ultimately be thrown out of court.

He is also shown to be an friend to Anthony Stein, the second detective Literary Mosaic focuses on.

EARLY LIFE:

Little is known about Gunnarson's early life. All that is known is that he grew up in Sweden before moving to England, and he served in the Swedish Army at some point; since he is still in possession of "his old service revolver." It is hoped that in the future, a story will expand on Gunnarson's early life.

LIFE IN LONDON:

At some point, Gunnarson became acquainted with Commissioner Davis Gent of Scotland Yard. While not becoming a detective for the police, Gunnarson did make a name for himself as a private detective. Eventually, he caught the eye of Scotland Yard, and they turned to him when it came to cases that no one was quite sure how to solve.

WORLD WAR II:

It is around mid-1942 when Gunnarson meets James Hartley, who accompanies him during the Manning case and in the process, becomes the subject of what would become the first Literary Mosaic. Hartley later leaves after a confrontation with the Swede forces him to make a hasty exit from Gunnarson's apartment. Gunnarson then goes on to solve the Farley and Gadrey cases before he has his first encounter with the other side of the law. Crown Prosecutor Henry Taylor, fed up with Gunnarson's unorthodox approach and his failure to focus on finding evidence, brings Gunnarson to court to prove what he believes is a conspiracy Gunnarson is a part of to frame innocent people and let criminals walk free. Ultimately, the case is thrown out due to the interference of Dr. Drugg.

LATE 1940s:

Gunnarson worked on cases that took him up against everything from The Black Scorpion Crime Syndicate to the maid and Butler of a kind Doctor who let Gunnarson spend the night in his mansion. Gunnarson's most dangerous case by far though, is the one where he is arrested after being framed for murder. After clearing his name, Gunnarson is subsequently invited on an adventure in a cave... which leads to the case that changes his life.

FALL FROM GRACE:

Up until the Cronwall case, Gunnarson had been highly regarded as a detective by both the populace and police forces of London, and England. However, Detective Michael Walton witnesses Gunnarson's work first hand, and discovers that Gunnarson is nothing like "the greats" such as Poirot or Marple. Although Gunnarson looked for evidence early on, he was shocked at what he saw the Swede do afterwards: he reconsidered suspects even after they were eliminated based on logic and evidence, he ignored evidence just to pursue hunches, he couldn't keep a coherent train of thought- often saying contradicting things, and the thing Walton found most repugnant, Gunnarson accused three different people of being the murderer in the course of an hour, going so far as to accuse one suspect of being the murderer even after he was eliminated based on the evidence. Even though Gunnarson eventually found the right conclusion, an appalled Walton made it clear to Gunnarson that he would reveal the truth about him to Scotland Yard, and his fellow detectives would not be happy. After spreading the word on Gunnarson's incompetence, The homicide detectives subsequently sent Gunnarson a letter, informing the Swede that greater discretion would be used against him from now on, and that all signed detectives would not allow him on crime scenes. Subsequently, other departments did the same thing. In homicide, Gunnarson found that only Detectives Stein, Byrne and Greene still respected him, as well as four or five detectives in other departments. He found himself forced to work other kinds of cases, now that Scotland Yard would no longer work with him.

The all time low came during the Blade Syndicate case in "Nemesis" when Gent said in a press conference that, following some of Gunnarson's recent actions, he had no choice but to disavow Gunnarson, and no longer would turn to the Swede for help. Though Gunnarson at least manages to get a good reputation back by the end of the case, Gent maintains his stance that from now on Gunnarson will have to respect the wishes of the detectives who will no longer allow him on crime scenes. In exchange, he will not be charged with any crimes that he may have committed.

Gunnarson ends up going five weeks without getting a single case... desperate for work, he seeks employment as a chef, and begins working at Köket of Sweden; a Swedish Restaurant. Though no longer working as an unofficial detective, he enjoys his new work, since cooking is his favorite past time, and he enjoys being in the company of fellow Swedes, allowing Gunnarson to enjoy a conversation in his native tongue once again.