Headhunters characters

Appears from the start

A highly successful Oslo recruitment consultant who specializes in placing senior executives. Roger is intelligent, observant, and skilled at manipulating candidates, but he is deeply insecure about his height and the possibility that his wife may leave him. The expensive life he maintains is financed partly through a secret second career stealing valuable art from his clients.

Appears from the start

Roger's striking, poised wife, who runs an art gallery he helped finance. Diana wants a child, while Roger has resisted becoming a father. Their marriage combines genuine attachment with secrets, mistrust, and the pressure of the luxurious image Roger works to sustain.

First appears in chapter 3

A confident Dutch executive and former special-forces soldier whom Roger meets as a possible candidate for a major technology-company post. Clas appears exceptionally qualified and socially assured. He has recently inherited a valuable painting, making him interesting to Roger for reasons beyond recruitment.

First appears in chapter 2

Roger's accomplice in art theft, employed by a security company that installs alarms in affluent homes. Ove supplies access information and handles practical details while Roger identifies targets through his recruitment work. He is volatile and less controlled than Roger would like.

Appears from the start

Roger's business partner at the recruitment firm. Ferdinand is polished and socially well connected, and his family name helps lend the company prestige. Roger generally regards himself as the strategist in their partnership.

First appears in chapter 2

An executive at Pathfinder, the technology company seeking a new chief executive. Lander is involved in the recruitment assignment that brings Clas Greve into Roger's professional orbit.

First appears in chapter 4

Roger's former lover, whose continued contact with him gives him another secret to manage. Their relationship is casual from Roger's perspective but carries risks for his marriage and his carefully controlled public life.

First appears in chapter 18

A police investigator who becomes involved after a violent death. Brown follows evidence that appears to connect Roger, Ove, and Clas, adding official pressure to a pursuit Roger already struggles to understand.

First appears in chapter 20

A farmer living in the countryside where Roger seeks help during his flight. Sindre's practical assistance gives Roger a brief chance to recover and think while danger closes in.