Nine of the most memorable antagonists in fiction

L.C. Shaw is the pen name of internationally bestselling author Lynne Constantine who also writes psychological thrillers with her sister as Liv Constantine. Her family wonder if she is actually a spy, and never knows what to call her. She has explored coral reefs all over the world, sunken wrecks in the South Pacific, and fallen in love with angelfish in the Caribbean. Constantine is a former marketing executive and has a Master’s in Business from Johns Hopkins University. When editing her work, she loves to procrastinate by spending time on social media, and when stuck on a plot twist has been known to run ideas by her Silver Labrador and Golden Retriever who wish she would stop working and play ball with them. Her work has been translated into 27 languages and is available in over 31 countries.

Shaw's new novel is The Silent Conspiracy.

[Coffee with a Canine: Lynne Constantine & Greyson; The Page 69 Test: The Network; My Book, The Movie: The Network.]

At CrimeReads, she tagged "nine antagonists so memorable that they’ve gone beyond the pages of the book and become famous in their own right." One entry on the list:

Rebecca, in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca

Throughout the novel, we’re led to believe that the new Mrs. de Winter can never measure up to the brilliant, beautiful, and beloved Rebecca. We never even learn the name of Max’s second wife, only the labels others give to her. But evidence of Rebecca as the first and seemingly rightful Mrs. de Winter is ubiquitous. We can almost see her signature, written in her elegant hand, the “R” dwarfing the other letters. Even as a ghost, in every way but paranormal, Rebecca dominates the story, her presence almost tangible. When Rebecca’s true character is finally revealed, the extent of her evil and duplicitousness nature lands her solidly in the villain camp.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Rebecca appears on Eliane Glaser's list of six of the best books on leadership, Penelope Lively’s list of five of her favorite gardens in literature, Xan Brooks's top ten list of terrible houses in fiction, Tom Easton's top ten list of fictional "houses which themselves seem to have a personality which affects the story," Martine Bailey's list of six of the best marriage plots in novels, Stella Gonet's six best books list, John Mullan's list of ten of the best conflagrations in literature, Tess Gerritsen's list of five favorite thrillers, Mary Horlock's list of the five best psychos in literature, and Derwent May's critic's chart of top country house books.

--Marshal Zeringue