in Death characters

This article describes the major and minor characters of J. D. Robb's in Death series.

Major characters

Consists of characters that typically appear in every book, whether their role be large or small, and are part of Eve's immediate circle of acquaintances. Characters are in order of appearance.

Eve Dallas

Eve Dallas is the main character of the In Death novels. Eve was found in an alley in Dallas, Texas. She was estimated to be eight years old. She had a broken arm, was covered in old blood, and unable to remember anything at all. She showed evidence of extensive physical and sexual abuse. Her social worker named her and put Eve into a foster home, the beginning of Eve's life in the system. After reaching the age of majority, Eve has a big desire to move to New York City, where she hopes to become a police officer. The dates of all her promotions are not specific, but it is mentioned that she became a detective second grade in early 2051, and eventually, by the start of the series, is lieutenant in the Homicide squad.

Throughout the series, her memories return, mostly through a series of nightmares, revealing a history of incestual rape and the patricide of her father, Richard Troy. It is revealed that he was raising her to prostitute her to child molesters. Her mother, Stella, was a prostitute and a drug addict and was occasionally beaten and raped by Troy, but hated her daughter. Eve finds out more about Stella in book 34, New York to Dallas.

It was implied that since Eve had lost her memory, she had forgotten her name as well, but it is eventually revealed in Reunion in Death that the reason Eve cannot remember her name is because her parents never gave her one. The fact that no one in Dallas could track down her ID indicates one of two things: that either Homeland Security interfered and deleted her data,[1] or that her parents had never registered her in the first place. For all intents and purposes, Eve did not exist in any records before she was eight years old.

After her relationship with and subsequent marriage to Roarke, Eve is a much happier and, to some extent, calmer person; she is more willing to work with and depend on other people. They celebrate their one-year anniversary in Reunion in Death, in July 2059. Eve's relationship with Roarke is central to the series and her character. Eve's official residence is 222 Central Park West, New York, NY, with Roarke.

Roarke

Roarke is one of the main characters of the In Death novels. In his mid-thirties, he is an immigrant from Dublin, Ireland; in New York City, he is the CEO of Roarke Industries, and one of the richest men in the world, possibly the richest. He owns an old mansion off Central Park that he remodeled to his specifications with very high-tech security. Also in the home is his own personal collection of firearms, which are illegal in 2058 unless one possesses a collector's license. Roarke also owns maces, swords, daggers, medieval armor, and other assorted weapons. He is quite skilled in electronics and can dismantle any type of security, lock, or coding, as well as hack into any electronic database—including but not limited to those of the FBI, Interpol, and Homeland Security.

He convinces Eve to move in with him in Glory in Death and then proposes at the end of the book. Roarke's house officially becomes a home once Eve moves in, and after this, Roarke is happiest at home rather than traveling. He also enjoys helping Eve with her cases, finding the role reversal quite entertaining.

He finds out in Portrait in Death that he is a year younger (b. 2024 not 2023) than what he thought he was.

Captain Ryan Feeney

Eve's former partner and the man who trained her, picking her up as an officer after finding her working a crime scene. He no longer works Homicide, but is instead the captain of the Electronics Detection Division (EDD).

Feeney is an apparently relaxed man who likes to dress a bit messily and loves his electronics; that said, he is a dedicated cop who is apparently a good husband to his wife, Sheila. They have several children and grandchildren. He is often seen eating a bag of candied nuts, which he may offer to Eve when they are deep in conversation about a case.

His former partner, DS Wojinsky, and Wojinsky's granddaughter, Feeney's goddaughter, are murdered in Ceremony in Death. Eve is the primary investigator, which causes friction between her and Feeney during the course of the book. Feeney fights with and temporarily breaks the relationship between himself and Eve; however, Roarke intervenes and tells Feeney that the man who raped Eve as a child was her own father, and that since Eve and Feeney met, Feeney has been her true father figure, although neither of them would ever discuss this with the other.

Given that Feeney was Eve's trainer and former partner for years, a great deal of Eve's personal and professional habits mimic his. Roarke has observed on several occasions (in Divided in Death and others) that Eve really is just like Feeney.

Feeney is one of the few people who knows that Homeland Security covered up Richard Troy's death by his daughter's hand.

Mavis Freestone

Mavis is Eve's best and first real friend. The two met when Eve was an officer. Since Eve was promoted to Detective when she was twenty-three, they met sometime between 2046 and 2051. Eve arrested her for being a con artist - several times - and the two ended up becoming friends. Eve often describes her as "pixie-like". Mavis is described as a tiny, pale woman (in contrast to her husband, Leonardo who is large and copper-coloured). Unless Mavis is upset, she radically changes her appearance daily, sporting different lengths, styles, and colors of hair with often matching or contrasting eye color. She is often described wearing jewel colors, and bouncing around. Her favorite expressions are "mag" as in 'magnificent', "iced" or "frosty" as in "cool" or "ult" as in "ultimate". She tends to expand or riff on these when she is excited.

Mavis is originally a singer in a club called the Blue Squirrel: it's a very low-class club where Mavis typically performed half-naked. Throughout the books, Mavis eventually gets a recording deal (she actually is quite talented) through one of Roarke's recording companies, and becomes a hugely popular music and vid star.

She has an almost innocent personality which belies the very real street knowledge she possesses; she is also very loyal to Eve, wanting nothing but the best for her, and always knows what Eve needs. She knows about Eve's past, but it is not clear if she knows that Eve killed her father. Nevertheless, Mavis would probably agree with the course of action.

Mavis tells Eve she is pregnant with Leonardo's baby in Purity in Death; she marries him in the delivery room during Born in Death. Summerset gives her away and offers his wife's ring, which he wore on a chain around his neck, until they can find another ring. Shortly afterwards, with Leonardo, Roarke and Eve as her coaches, Mavis gives birth to a baby girl, named Bella Eve, who is more often referred to as Belle.

Lawrence Charles Summerset

He is technically Roarke's majordomo, who runs Roarke's house. In practice, he is Roarke's most trusted friend, after Eve. He used to go by the name 'Basil Kolchek' back in Ireland in the 2030s. His wife, and daughter Marlena, are both dead when the series begins. During the series' fictional "Urban Wars", a time of urban unrest, Summerset served as a medical aide, also working with the title doctor from Origin in Death.

When Roarke was ten, he met Summerset and Marlena, then aged eight. They ran cons together; shortly after, Summerset found Roarke half-beaten to death in an alley (by Patrick Roarke, his father); he saved him and nursed him back to health.[2] Roarke mentions (somewhat conflictingly) later that he thought Summerset was a mark and tried to steal from him, but as Roarke said, Summerset "dissuaded him of that notion".[3]

Shortly thereafter, Patrick Roarke turned up dead in an alley, stabbed in the throat and robbed of all money and valuables - supposedly a victim of a mugging. It was a surprisingly innocuous death for a very dangerous man, and Eve realizes in Portrait in Death that it is Summerset who in fact killed Patrick. Summerset says that he did it because he had "children to protect."[4] Roarke does not know as of Celebrity in Death and neither Eve nor Summerset see any reason to tell him.

When Roarke was sixteen, he was running a small gambling ring. His competitors wanted him gone and having failed to warn him off, they figured that the best way to deliver the message was through Marlena, Summerset's daughter, then aged fourteen. The six men raped, murdered, and mutilated Marlena, and then dumped her corpse on Summerset's doorstep. In revenge, Roarke hunted down and killed those six men over the next decade. These acts form the basis for the plot in Vengeance in Death. When he comes to the U.S., he brings Summerset with him, asking Summerset to become his home's majordomo. In reality, Roarke thinks of Summerset as a father.

Despite having Roarke in common, Eve and Summerset spend the majority of the series at odds, each having personality traits that chafe against the other. In Vengeance in Death, Eve realizes why Summerset does not like her. She tells him that she has realised that he always wanted someone like Marlena for Roarke, a sweet and innocent young girl - something Eve has never been. Summerset had not realized the basis of his dislike, and is guilt-stricken over it. In the finale of Vengeance in Death, Eve takes a hit from a stunner meant for Summerset.

The overtly adversarial relationship between Eve and Summerset gradually evolves into a matter of course: she often relieves her work-related stress by insulting him; she throws her jacket on the newel post at the foot of the main staircase because she knows it annoys him, and because he expects her to do so. In Conspiracy in Death, it becomes clear that Summerset is merely fulfilling the role of adversary, but has genuine concern for Eve's well-being and grades her states of mind based on the quality of her insults towards him. The heart "she didn't know he had" squeezes in empathy for her situation: he tells her that she is late for dinner simply to put the thought of food into her mind (he knows she would have forgotten otherwise), and when a pallid and depressed Eve, soaked from walking in the snow, gives a lethargic apology to one of his particularly withering comments, he goes to Roarke and says, "I insulted her and she...apologized. Something must be done."

On several occasions, the two have had meaningful conversations over their only common interest: Roarke. In Innocent in Death, Summerset fully supports Eve in her dispute with Roarke over Roarke's ex-lover, telling Eve that even though he doesn't like her superficial inability to be a 'social fixture' for someone of Roarke's position, he truly understands that Eve is the one for Roarke because she genuinely loves him and has demonstrated that by repeatedly putting herself in harm's way to protect him, and by unwittingly helping Roarke make his mansion a proper home which includes things like Christmas traditions and frequent meetings of Eve's investigative teams. Summerset's respect for Eve's job is also demonstrated in subtle ways as well, particularly in Origin in Death when he subtly hints how she made history by stopping her adversaries in a high-profile case.

Summerset is very fond of Mavis and tends to cater to whatever she wants on her visits: he treats her very affectionately. This may be some indication that Mavis reminds him of Marlena. He gives Mavis away at her wedding, and loans her his own wife's ring, a further indication of a paternal feeling for Mavis, and has also babysat Belle, Mavis's daughter, on several occasions. Belle, unable to say Summerset, calls him "Someshit", which greatly amuses Eve. He also shows affection and great concern for Peabody and McNab when they have been injured in the line of duty.

Commander Jack Whitney

Eve's police commander; her immediate superior, since the NYPSD Homicide department oddly enough does not have a captain. He is one of the few characters in the series, along with the Chief of the NYPSD, Tibble, who is identified as black. Eve respects him greatly.

Whitney is a solid, excellent police officer, and for the most part is always on Eve's side. He recognizes that she is an excellent cop; if it weren't for the fact that Eve prefers being on the street, he would have promoted her to captain himself. However, that and the fact that other high-ranking members of the police force frown on her marriage to Roarke have made the promotion more difficult, something he does not agree with.

He does not aspire to higher political positions than the one he has (it is stated in Glory in Death that he was offered the role of Chief of Police but elected to remain Commander of Cop Central); he also has been a cop as long as Feeney has, and the two were apparently in uniform together (covered in Ceremony in Death).

He has at least one daughter (a lawyer) with his wife, Anna Whitney, and endures stoically the parties his wife loves throwing. He also states in Reunion in Death that he has more than one son as well as grandchildren in another book.

In Glory in Death, the victim was a good friend of his, a prosecutor back from when he was on the streets. Because the prime suspects are the victim's family, he is very uncomfortable with the case and subsequently oversteps his boundaries, damaging his relationship with Eve. The relationship is still shaky in Immortal in Death. However, when he finds out that Eve killed her father while he was raping her, he immediately tells Eve that their police department will not open the matter, effectively shutting down the possibility of Eve being indicted for causing Troy's death. He also knows that Homeland Security left Eve to be raped by Richard Troy, and subsequently kill him.

Surprising Eve, he gets along very well with Roarke and the two have, on rare occasions, smoked and drunk together.

Nadine Furst
  • First Appearance: Naked in Death
  • Channel 75 news reporter, on the crime beat.

Nadine is one of the intended victims of the murderer in Glory in Death, but is saved by Eve, who is the primary investigator on the case. She is an extremely ambitious reporter, but an ethical one; she will always protect her source (in these books, the source is often Eve) and follows her cases thoroughly. The transactions between Nadine and Eve are usually the same: when Eve is in the early stages of investigating a case, Nadine will call her repeatedly, asking for information. Eve usually responds (or calls back) on the third or fourth call and gives Nadine a few key pieces of information. Nadine will then bribe her way into Eve's office, using baked goods and sweets, such as fudge, doughnuts and chocolate brownies. From there, Eve expects Nadine to do some more digging (which she does more quickly and/or effectively than the police), return the facts to Eve, and ultimately be rewarded with an exclusive interview when the case breaks.

When Eve's badge is taken away from her in Conspiracy in Death, Nadine rallies to the cause with a bombardment of news clips and stories, spinning a story about a heroic cop's badge having been unjustly taken away. She and Eve are good friends, and the only reporter Eve truly trusts to properly deliver select media information. They have since become friends, and Nadine attended Eve's bachelorette party in a down-market sex club, The Down and Dirty, where Nadine did a half-naked dance for the crowd.

Nadine acquires her own TV show, Now!, in Memory in Death as a direct result of the story Eve fed her in Origin in Death, because the case about human cloning garnered Nadine immense publicity worldwide. Nadine writes a book about the case, The Icove Agenda. The book is later made into a "vid" (Robb's futuristic terminology for a motion picture), which forms the background to the plot of Celebrity in Death. Nadine teasingly asks Eve (but half-seriously) if they can film some of the Now interviews at Eve's house, to which she answers emphatically no. That said, Eve makes an appearance on the show (with Roarke watching from off-camera) in Innocent in Death, where she is interviewed about the Icove case.

As befits a high-profile TV reporter, Nadine is a sharp dresser, a fact Eve (who is bemused about why others pay such attention to their personal appearances) finds odd. Eve often observes throughout the series that Nadine wears high heels, which Nadine says she wears to make her legs look good.

Nadine admits to Eve that she struggled to trust people in relationships after a bad experience with Richard Draco, one of the murder victims in Witness in Death, and she only seems to have fairly casual relationships up until Apprentice in Death when she starts a relationship with musician Jake Kincade, who nicknames her Lois after Lois Lane, also an ace reporter.

Dr. Charlotte Mira

Mira is the resident psychiatrist and profiler for the NYPSD; Eve comments in Naked in Death that she could have opened a much more profitable private practice, but Charlotte wanted to work with the police.

Charlotte tells Eve that she was raped as a child by her stepfather, when she was twelve, and the rapes went on for several years before she finally admitted it. Her mother divorced her stepfather and after counselling, remarried Charlotte's birth father, and her parents are happy to this day.

Charlotte has several children with her husband, Dennis Mira, and has grandchildren as well. She is a pretty and feminine woman whom Eve often consults on her cases. These consultations typically take place in Mira's office where Mira and Eve discuss the case and suspect profile over flowery tea. Eve, who prefers coffee, puts up with the tea because she is fond of Mira.

Eve loves Charlotte very much but has not admitted it to her face; nevertheless, Charlotte knows. Charlotte thinks of Eve as a daughter, a fact which annoyed Mira's own daughter at one point, and throughout the series has gotten Eve to open up to her more and more.

Charlotte knows all about Eve's life: her rapes as a child, her killing of her father in self-defense, her subsequent foster care, subsequent time spent in juvenile detention, her reasons for being a police officer, and her life with Roarke. Charlotte is also one of the few that knows that Homeland Security had a hand in covering up Eve's father's death.

Charlotte and Eve experienced some conflict of interest in Origin in Death, since Charlotte was friends with the true villain of the book and deeply disturbed by the man's experiments with human lives.

Officer (Detective) Delia Peabody
  • First Appearance: Glory in Death
  • Temporary aide in Glory and Immortal in Death
  • Permanent aide: from Rapture in Death through to Imitation
  • Partner: Promotion to Detective, third grade in Imitation in Death

Although her first name is Delia, she is referred to by her surname 'Peabody' throughout the books, as is standard for other police officers.

Peabody comes from a family of "Free-Agers", which is a fictional extension of the New Age movement from the 1980s. Her family is very peaceful and pacifistic, but Delia prefers exercising justice her way - the police way. She is a very responsible and sober police officer, but as the books continue, her personality relaxes and she is more confident in her cases and in teasing Eve, particularly about her sex life with McNab and her sexual fantasies.

Peabody has a very close relationship with the heroine of the book, Eve. Upon being requested to be Eve's aide at the start of the series, Peabody was incredibly grateful for the opportunity as she had studied Eve's cases in the Police Academy and idolizes her. Their relationship grows over time, beyond mentor-mentee to deep friendship. It is for this reason that Eve tells Peabody about her childhood and subsequent act of patricide in Visions in Death.

She dates Charles Monroe for a little while starting in Holiday in Death, but she quickly realizes that she thinks of him as a brother. Nevertheless, they continue to spend time together, with many assuming they are in a sexual relationship.

Ian McNab is Peabody's lover and later in the series, her co-hab; she meets and clashes with him in his introduction during Vengeance in Death. They start a sexual relationship in Loyalty in Death, with McNab still under the impression that she is also sleeping with Charles. After an argument fuelled by McNab's jealousy, their relationship ends in Betrayal in Death as Peabody is unaware that his rage was due to the fact that he has genuine romantic feelings for her. However, they officially start dating in Seduction in Death. He meets her parents in Reunion in Death, move in together and sign a lease in Visions in Death. She also visits his family in Scotland during Christmas in Memory in Death. Peabody is very happy with him, but as she states to Eve once, she's fine living with him - marriage is very far off.

McNab frequently refers to Peabody as "She-Body", but Peabody herself worries about her weight and, in particular, about the size of her ass.

Detective Ian McNab

Of a Scottish background, Ian is a detective in Feeney's Electronics Detection Division. He is particularly good with computers (though not as good as Roarke). Ian is also a very flashy dresser, wearing bright, spangly clothes and earrings who, in Eve's words, "prances" rather than walks. Feeney describes him as a known candy thief, and he has been caught at least once pilfering candy bars from Eve's office.

His relationship with Delia Peabody begins as a rocky one. At first he infuriates her, and they have exchanges much like bickering children. He repeatedly calls her "She-Body", which she finds annoying. That said, their bickering masks a deep attraction which they finally act upon. They begin to date at the same time as Peabody is dating Charles Monroe. Unaware that Delia is not actually sleeping with Charles Monroe, Ian is incredibly jealous. His jealousy peaks in Betrayal in Death, and he fights with Peabody and breaks off his relationship with her. The two are subsequently miserable for several books. After having a fight with Charles Monroe, however, in Seduction in Death, he gets back together with her. Eventually, in Visions in Death, Peabody tells him the true nature of her relationship with Monroe.

In Purity in Death, Ian was temporarily paralyzed and tried to break up with Peabody to spare her being stuck with an invalid. She told him where he could put that idea and remained with him, his body waking up again shortly after. He then confessed that he loved her, not wanting to miss the chance to tell her again.

Delia does eventually tell him that she never had a romance with Charles, but not until Visions in Death, in which she enjoys Ian's suffering. They are living together by then, in the same building as Mavis and Leonardo, and have exchanged proclamations of love for each other.

Detective David Baxter

Another detective from Eve's division, Homicide. A very able police officer, he begins making regular appearances in Conspiracy in Death. He was originally a member of the anti-crime division, but transferred over to Homicide well before his first appearance. He enjoys teasing Eve about anything he can, usually relating to her relationship with Roarke and associated changes; despite this teasing Roarke views Baxter as a solid cop and easygoing person. This did not, however, prevent a short altercation between Roarke and Baxter in Conspiracy in Death: when Baxter is responsible for interviewing Eve as a suspect in a homicide, Roarke punches him in the face. Whenever Eve has a fairly large team for a big investigation, she brings Baxter in. He is a bachelor and is described as being good looking; however, he has not been romantically tied to any particular person. Baxter enjoys playing the field. He is nicknamed "Horny Dog" by Eve and the other members of her unit.

In Purity in Death, Eve urges Baxter to take Officer Trueheart under his supervision, meaning that Trueheart serves him the same way Delia did Eve. He admits in rare moments that he's very fond of Trueheart, often referring to him as "the kid" or "the boy." His capabilities as a good cop and trainer are demonstrated through Trueheart's sharpening skills.

Baxter (almost always referred to as such) is badly stunned in the end of Survivor in Death, but with no apparent lasting damage.

Chief Medical Examiner Li Morris

Chief Medical Examiner Morris is the medical examiner Eve requests on all of her high-priority cases. He is probably of mixed race background, as he is mentioned as having 'oddly exotic almond-shaped eyes', and sports a small tattoo of the Grim Reaper on his left pectoral. He is a snazzy dresser much like a rock star; he has a long black ponytail which he often ties back with fasteners that match his clothes. He plays the saxophone and sometimes plays gigs at various clubs. He listens to music while performing autopsies and calls Eve his prize pupil for her quick-witted deductions. He plays a major role in 2009's Promises in Death, as the victim of the central case is his girlfriend Detective Amaryllis Coltraine. Morris also reveals that he had an older brother named Jin, who died when he was a boy and whose death led to his choice of profession.

Minor characters

Consists of characters who typically play small roles and will go many books without occurring again; however, they may play larger roles on the rare occasion. Listed in order of appearance.

Galahad

Eve's third victim in "Naked in Death" is the owner of a cat. As her family does not want to keep the cat, Eve takes him into custody. She keeps him in her apartment, without knowing his name. When the murderer of the book has Eve at gunpoint in her apartment, the cat brushes past his leg, distracting him and giving Eve the leverage she needs to fight back. Eve thus names the cat "Galahad", after the Arthurian knight, because he was her "knight in shining armor". He does something similar in New York to Dallas.

The cat is Eve's, Roarke's, and Summerset's pet: he is often fed by all of them and takes food as he pleases, and occasionally steals it if he can manage it. On occasion, Eve has had bad dreams from which she wakes up to find Galahad trying to wake and comfort her. On other occasions when Eve falls dead asleep, Galahad sits on her butt. When Nixie, the title character from Survivor in Death, stays at their home, she stays mostly with Galahad, as he comforts her. When Mavis brings Belle for a visit in Creation in Death, Galahad is scared of the baby.

Eve mentions later in Memory in Death that the cat has been neutered. The cat makes minor appearances in almost every book.

He is described as a fat, heavy and lazy gray cat with dual colored eyes, one green and one gold. Roarke gave Eve a stuffed toy which is a smaller replica of Galahad, because she had never had a doll. Galahad was initially unsure of it but now Eve has returned to the house to find that Galahad has been playing with the toy, a fact she finds slightly disturbing.

Anna Whitney

Anna Whitney is the commander's wife; unlike her husband, she is white, although their interracial marriage has never been explicitly pointed out. They have several children together.

Anna mostly terrifies Eve because she is extremely put together, an extremely efficient hostess, and combined with her marriage to the commander, can highly intimidate Eve as well. That said, she is to all appearances a devoted wife and mother. In Glory, Eve finds out that she has given large amounts of cash to the top suspect because he was in gambling debt.

In Origin in Death, Commander Whitney specifically calls Eve because his wife has asked him to ask her to keep her plastic surgery details out of the case, a request with which Eve has no difficulty complying.

Anna Whitney however understands being a cop's wife and in several books, excels at supporting and comforting the spouses and families of cops who have been killed or have lost family members. In Kindred in Death she fulfills this role and also states that, whilst she finds Eve difficult and abrasive at times, she respects her abilities and would have used every influence she had with Commander Whitney to have Eve assigned to the investigation had the father of the victim not already requested her.

Caroline Ewing (Caro)

Roarke's administrator, nicknamed Caro; she is his right hand at his company. She is the mother of Reva Ewing, a former United States Secret Service agent who took a hit for the President of the United States.

Caro is an extremely efficient and capable woman; the only time she asks Roarke for his help is in Divided in Death, when her daughter is framed for murder. Other than that, she serves as his assistant, appearing briefly in many of the books.

Richard and Elizabeth DeBlass

Richard and Elizabeth DeBlass are lawyers, and Richard is the son of Senator Gerald DeBlass, who murdered their daughter, Sharon. Richard and Elizabeth were unaware that Sharon had been molested regularly as a child by her grandfather, nor did they know that Richard's sister had suffered similarly.

In Vengeance in Death, Eve is delivered a message from the killer via a very young boy with a cat, who is abused by his mother and spends his time out on the streets. Roarke finds this information out, and arranges with Child Protective Services for the boy to be placed with Richard and Elizabeth. They eventually adopt him.

They are seen again in Survivor in Death when Nixie Swisher's guardians refuse to take her in, following the deaths of Nixie's family and their daughter As Nixie's only remaining relatives are unsuitable or do not want to accept custody of her, Roarke and Eve again contact the DeBlasses, who come to talk to Nixie and then take her into their custody. They are accompanied by the little boy from Vengeance.

In Kindred in Death, Roarke reports that Nixie is settling in well. They return in Thankless in Death as guests at Thanksgiving and at Eve and Roarke's award ceremony, where Nixie tells Eve that she is thankful for her, as she found justice for her family.

Wilson Buckley (Crack)

The owner and proprietor of a club known as the "Down and Dirty": it's an extremely dirty and grimy club, but illegal activity is somewhat low. His nickname comes from the sound that heads make when he rams them together. He becomes friends with Eve after initially mistaking her for a potential stripper. He is described as being very dark-skinned and large in stature, with a face that a mother would have trouble loving. He tends to favor a loincloth type dress, and silver clothing. After some initial meetings where she would pay him for information (in both Glory and Immortal), he occasionally helps her out by letting her have private meetings with other cops, informants, and Nadine Furst in his club's back rooms. He typically refers to her affectionately as "skinny white girl."

In Portrait in Death, his younger half-sister, a medical school student, is murdered; Eve takes him to the morgue to view her body, comforts him, and she and Roarke plant a tree for his sister in Central Park. After this, Crack says that she will never pay him for another favor again Origin in Death. Eve seems just as fond of him (often addressing him as 'Big Black Man' or 'Large Black Man') as he is of her, and invites him for Thanksgiving with her and Roarke.

Eve's bachelorette party is at Crack's club in Immortal in Death.

Wilson aka "Crack" has a much bigger part in Connections in Death where he is dating another central character (Rochelle Pickering), the sister of the first murder victim (Lyle Pickering). This gives Eve a new side of Crack to see and respect even calling him "smitten" with his new found love.

Chief Harrison Tibble

The new Chief of Police in his first appearance, replacing Chief Simpson (who he referred to as a "corrupt, pie-faced fucker"), Tibble is a thirty-year veteran who rose through the ranks with Commander Whitney. A huge man, standing around 6"6' and weighing around 250lbs, he is well respected both by his officers and also by politicians and journalists. He implicitly trusts his contemporaries like Whitney and Feeney, and shares their opinion of Dallas. Eve respects and admires him, and also secretly admits to being a little afraid of him.

Leonardo
  • First Appearance: Immortal in Death

Leonardo is a famous clothing designer and Mavis's husband, marrying her in Born in Death shortly before she delivers their daughter, Bella Eve. He is an enormous man (6' 5" according to Immortal in Death), possesses Native American heritage, detests violence and is very peaceful. In Conspiracy in Death he is described as having the spirit of a seven-year-old boy on the first day of school. They currently live together in Eve's old apartment.

He designed Eve's wedding dress; Eve is very fond of him and approves of him as a good match for Mavis.

Trina
  • First Appearance: Immortal in Death

Trina is a beauty technician introduced as a friend of Mavis's and Leonardo to assist with Eve's wedding preparations. She later promises Eve free consultations for the rest of her life when she clears Mavis of murder. The only consistent description of Trina is that she has impressive breasts, as much like Mavis she changes her appearance in almost every scene, never mind book. She appears to stand alongside Anna Whitney as one of the very few people Eve is scared of, as Trina considers Eve's hair to be "hers" once she's worked on it, and has more than once given Eve a temporary tattoo for cutting her own hair. Mavis and Peabody also take great delight in forcing Eve into treatments. Eve does accept that Trina always makes her look like herself, and has at times used her as an expert consultant with suspects who use disguises or enhancements. Trina's reputation is such that she works at high-profile fashion events, for Nadine Furst on her "Now" show and for Roarke at his high-end salon.

Chief Tech Dickie Berenski
  • First Appearance: Immortal in Death

Berenski, almost always referred to as "Dickhead" is the Chief Tech at the NYPSD's crime lab. He has an egg shaped head and thinning black hair as well as spider-like fingers. He is not above, and indeed often seems to expect, bribery in exchange for quick lab work. This, and his somewhat oily personality contribute to his unaffectionate nickname. Nonetheless he is highly respected for the quality of his work, and is fiercely loyal to his staff, a trait he shares with Eve. He appears, albeit briefly, in most books after his first appearance.

James (Jamie) Lingstrom
  • First Appearance: Ceremony in Death

Jamie shows up as the grandson and brother of one of the victims in the book; he's a teenager who attempts to break into Eve and Roarke's home in order to express to them his desire to find the truth about what happened to his family. His computer skills are such that he surprisingly passed over the highly secure perimeter and into the yard, though Roarke quickly catches him. Much to Roarke's annoyance, he sneaked over the garden wall with the help of a modified portable gaming system, one that Roarke in fact manufactures.

He hero-worships both Eve and Roarke. In the end of Ceremony in Death, Jamie kills the murderer of his sister with an athame; Eve takes the blame and pretends she did it in order to spare him from a murder trial.

In Purity in Death, Roarke brings him in as a technical assistant due to his very good computer and programming skills. He makes another appearance in Kindred in Death: he is now a university student who was good friends with one of the victims and offers Eve help where he can.

Brian Kelly

Kelly is an old friend of Roarke's from his childhood and adolescence in Dublin. He and Roarke reconnect when Roarke returns to Ireland for the wake of one of the murder victims, and is now the owner of The Penny Pig, a pub that Roarke used to frequent. He still has connections with people that will no longer talk to Roarke now that he is married to a cop, and so is occasionally asked to unofficially assist with investigations. He is fond of embarrassing Roarke with stories from their past, and frequently tells Eve that he will be waiting for her when she comes to her senses and leaves Roarke.

Officer (Detective) Troy Trueheart

The most naive character in the series; like his name, he is a young, honest, innocent, and enthusiastic young officer (in Witness in Death he thanks Eve for giving him the mission of standing outside in the cold all night long). He has a single mother whom he loves very much, and who makes a brief appearance in Witness in Death when he is badly injured (by other police officers) while chasing a suspect. It is also mentioned in this book that he is twenty-two.

In Purity in Death, Trueheart is taken under by Baxter, who agrees to train him at Eve's request. In this same book, Trueheart discharges his stunner, which turns out to be the final step in killing a victim under attack by the villains of the novel. Trueheart is kidnapped in Portrait in Death by the murderer: he manages to stay conscious enough to give Eve and Baxter directions to his location.

Trueheart is well liked by virtually everyone—except the officer with whom he was working when he was introduced (Ellen Bowers, one of the murder victims in Conspiracy in Death).

Trueheart takes and passes the Detective's test in Devoted in Death. The ceremony for the promotion is held in Brotherhood in Death.

Dr. Louise Dimatto

Louise is serving as a doctor in a clinic in the slums of Canal Street; she comes from a very rich family of important doctors, but rather than becoming an important doctor with a high salary, she works in the worst parts of NYC. Louise does have a trust that she lives on, and occasionally supplemented the clinic with her own cash.

She is a witness of sorts in Seduction in Death to a body being tossed off a balcony. In addition, she serves as an informal consultant and informer to Eve in this book, Reunion in Death, Origin in Death, and others; Eve also prefers her treatment to that of other doctors, so she treated Eve's wounds in Reunion.

Louise takes a large bribe from Eve for half a million to help her with the case. As Eve is not in possession of her badge at the time, the bribe is technically illegal. The half million is for Louise's clinic; Eve finds out in Seduction that Louise actually received three million, the other 2.5 being on condition that she contract her services to a women and children's abuse shelter, Dochas, founded by Roarke. Louise spends half her week there as of Portrait in Death.

Lieutenant Donald Webster

Webster is assigned to NYPSD Internal Affairs, and is one of Eve's former lovers. Although they only spent one night together, Webster never forgot about Eve, and retained a great deal of affection for her. This leads to an argument and fistfight with Roarke in Judgment in Death. Eve is baffled by Webster's feelings for her, and infuriated by both his and Roarke's actions. Later on Webster is seriously wounded protecting Eve, nearly dies, but recovers from his injuries. In the following books he appears to have come to terms with his feelings and is friendly with both Eve and Roarke. In Treachery in Death he happens to meet Chief Darcia Angelo, who is visiting from Roarke's off planet resort, Olympus. It is insinuated they intend to continue a relationship even after she returns home.

Despite some antagonism towards Webster due to his leaving the streets for IAB (Referred to by regular cops as the Rat Squad), Eve has great respect for Webster and his abilities, and she knows that he values the job and badge over results.

Chief Darcia Angelo
  • First Appearance: Interlude in Death

Chief Angelo is the chief of police at the Olympus Resort, personally hired by Roarke. She and Eve butt heads several times over procedure and jurisdiction, but eventually come to an understanding. She visits New York in Treachery in Death where she meets Webster and begins a relationship with him.

She was previously a police officer in Colombia focusing primarily on narcotics. She is described as being extremely attractive, with Peabody being somewhat jealous of her figure, and she greatly enjoys shopping whilst in New York as a change from police work.

Dennis Mira
  • First Appearance: Reunion in Death

Dennis Mira is the husband of Dr. Charlotte Mira. He seems to be a very absent-minded fellow, walking around with his shirt buttons mismatched. However, he is a very kind man; Eve is very fond of him and finds it easy to talk to him. He is very nonthreatening to her; however, he is intelligent, and as Charlotte says, very good at separating what is good and evil. Mira occasionally teaches at Colombia University.

Eve sees him in Memory in Death, and before she knows what's happening, she breaks down weeping. She is mostly sad because she wonders what a difference it would have made to her tragic early life if she had had just one person like Dennis Mira who would have loved her like a parent. Eve likes him very much and in the same book, buys him a scarf. He believes Eve to be a very determined and good person with a necessary dark streak in her that he respects.

Sinead Lanigan

Sinead Lanigan is Roarke's Aunt, his late mother's twin sister. After receiving information from a social worker about his real mother he seeks out the truth and returns to Ireland to visit his mother's family. Roarke is shocked by the warmth of welcome he receives from Sinead. She is described as being small, with red hair and green eyes. She is very proud of the man Roarke has become and of the life he has made with Eve. Sinead and the whole family make sporadic appearances, particularly at Thanksgiving where it has become something of a tradition for them to visit Roarke and Eve in New York.

Detective Vince Yancy

Yancy is an Ident Artist working for the NYPSD. He is handsome and mild mannered, and is described by Dallas as the best imaging artist there is. He is adept at bonding with witnesses and drawing out all of the details that they can remember about a suspect, and will not allow Dallas or anyone else to rush his work when he knows a witness needs a break.

Ursa Harvo
  • First Appearance: Visions in Death

Harvo is a female tech at the crime lab, specialising in hair and fibre analysis, describing herself as the "Queen of Hair" and "Princess of Fibre" on meeting Dallas and Peabody. She has very white skin with spiked red hair and green eyes the colour of spring grass. She shares the general opinion of Dickhead that the other characters have, although admits that he is a brilliant tech. Her father works for the FBI in the same field of study as Harvo, and is considered one of the best in said field. Her combination of skill, efficiency and enthusiasm for her job, coupled with her smart mouth, make her one of Eve's go to people. In the book “Thankless in Death,” she is called Harpo instead of Harvo. In Golden in Death she is revealed to be a 'killer' at poker by Jenkinson.

APA Cher Reo

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Cher Reo is introduced during the Icove case as Eve needs a warrant and needs an APA with the courage and belief in her to force it through. She is described as a petite and pretty woman, with soft curly blonde hair and baby blue eyes. She is short in stature, often wearing mile-high heels (according to Eve) and has a soft Southern accent. All of this is in contrast to her demeanour in court, where she is described as a piranha. She becomes Eve's "go-to" APA when she needs a warrant, and also becomes a close friend, being present at social events such as Mavis's baby shower.

Detective Amaryllis Coltraine

Coltraine is a Detective Third Grade who transfers to the NYPSD from Atlanta. A Southern belle with blue eyes and blonde hair and a curvy figure, she and Morris develop a mutual attraction and quickly begin dating. She is fond of baking to relax (particularly chocolate brownies) and although she is a smart and capable detective, she doesn't live the job the way Eve does. She is murdered in Promises in Death, devastating Morris who was falling in love with her. Her death causes Eve to admit to herself that she never really gave Coltraine a chance, subconsciously seeing her as an interloper due to her relationship with Morris, and causing Eve to take her death all the harder thinking that they would have been friends in due time.

Detective Callendar
  • First Appearance: Creation in Death

Callendar is another of Feeney's "boys" (all of Feeney's e-cops are his boys, regardless of gender) and is a friend of Peabody and McNab. She is introduced as part of the large taskforce working on the "Groom" serial killer case. Described by McNab as almost as good as he is, she has dark hair, burnt honey skin with sloe eyes and impressive breasts. In Promises in Death she is excited to be sent to the Omega Colony, her first off-planet assignment, to gather evidence against Max Ricker.

Kyung Beaverton
  • First Appearance: Celebrity in Death

Kyung is a media liaison attached to the NYPSD, often brought in on large cases by Chief Tibble. He is the only media liaison Eve can remotely stand, as he allows her to be herself and focus on the job, whereas other liaisons frequently focus on appearance and ask her to put on lip gloss before appearing on camera. Eve describes him to Roarke as 'not an asshole' which he recognises as a compliment by Eve's standards.

Dr. Garnet DeWinter
  • First Appearance: Concealed in Death

DeWinter is a forensic anthropologist, recently moved from Washington to New York and working with the NYPSD. Highly respected in her field, she forms a quick friendship with Morris as they share an interest in the dead through their work and both experienced failed relationships. DeWinter is divorced with a young daughter, and has a hot temper. She and Eve initially have a slightly frosty relationship, but have begun to respect each other's skills.

Lieutenant Mitchell Lowenbaum
  • First Appearance: Delusion in Death

Lowenbaum is head of the NYPSD's SWAT Team. He is attractive (as noted by Peabody), and admits that he once thought that he and Eve might get together before she met Roarke. In Apprentice in Death he is brought in by Eve as a consultant on the sniper case, and is devastated when it turns out to be a former colleague.

Dawson
  • First Appearance: Concealed in Death

Dawson is the head "sweeper", the colloquial name given to the Crime Scene Technicians working for the NYPSD. He, Morris and Eve have worked together on hundreds of cases and share the same focus and dedication to the job. Despite his profession, he has very poor eyesight.

Jake Kincade
  • First Appearance: Apprentice in Death

Kincade is the lead singer and guitarist of Avenue A, one of the most successful rock bands of their time. He is in a relationship with Nadine Furst, who he affectionately nicknames 'Lois'. Although a huge star in his own right, he is shown to be down to earth and a good man, helping other rock stars with substance abuse issues or spending time instructing at Roarke's shelter. Feeney is a huge fan of rock in general and Avenue A in particular, and is furious with Eve for not introducing them, until she makes amends by getting him an invite to a rehearsal session.

Eve's squad

Other than Baxter, and Trueheart when they start working together, little is mentioned about Eve's squad in any great detail through the early books. Occasionally members of the squad will ask for Eve's opinion on a case or be pulled in as part of the team on larger cases. As of Treachery in Death where the focus is on another police lieutenant suspected of corruption, Eve's squad consists of:

Detective Jenkinson. Referred to as "Sick Bastard" much as Baxter is referred to as "Horny Dog", Jenkinson is a solid veteran who is fiercely loyal to Dallas. He is fond of wearing garish ties to brighten his day and that of his squadmates. In Golden in Death he and Reineke are shown to play poker regularly, with Feeney, Callendar and Harvo the other listed players.

Detective Reineke is Jenkinson's partner, also fiercely loyal to Dallas and fond of garish socks rather than ties

Detective Carmichael is a female detective, somewhat hot tempered and apparently not someone you should make bets with as she almost always wins. She is dark-haired and pretty, and acquires a pair of jewelled cowboy boots when on assignment in Texas. She is also a talented singer, and enjoys jamming with Morris, Santiago, Mavis and Jake Kincade at Nadine's housewarming party in Connections in Death. She is first mentioned in Immortal in Death as having made a mistake in not IDing a Jane Doe who connects to one of Dallas's cases.

Detective Santiago is the new guy, a calming influence on his partner Carmichael. He went to college and played baseball to a high standard but joined the NYPSD as that was what he always wanted, whereas baseball was "just playing" to him, although he thinks about joining a softball team with some of Roarke's employees. He is also a talented pianist as shown in Connections in Death. He may be named Sanchez in some books.

Officer Carmichael is the longest serving uniformed officer in Eve's squad. He is a solid veteran, described as being hell on details. Other uniformed officers who cross Eve's path and impress her are often added to her squad later, beginning with Peabody and Trueheart, then later on Officer Newkirk (introduced in Creation In Death and the son of an officer on the original case) and Officer Shelby (introduced in Festive In Death and brought in to Eve's squad when Trueheart makes Detective). Shelby is shown to have a very active social life as Eve often meets witnesses who know her, and states that she has no ambition to make detective as she loves the uniform.

All respect and admire Dallas, and fear her wrath if they don't do the job to her high standards. They are also fiercely loyal to her, and cite facts such as her small and dingy office to other squads as proof of how she cares about her men and the job more than rank and appearances.

Nonappearing characters

These characters are for the most part deceased, but play an important role by figuring strongly into the minds of Eve and Roarke and may frequently show up in flashbacks or memories.

Richard Troy

Richard Troy is Eve's biological father; from when she was about five or six, he began raping her, continuing until the night of his death when Eve was eight years old. Eve kills him with a kitchen knife while he is drunkenly raping her, in Dallas, Texas, but he breaks her arm during the process.

He is present in every single book, as he is always the spectre of Eve's nightmares. Typically, he appears in her nightmares to tell her that no matter how many people she finds justice for, there will always be more monsters like him, waiting to do more evil to innocents like the little girl she was.

His first name is revealed in Judgment in Death; his last name is found by Roarke in his file on Homeland Security Organization's files in Divided in Death. He was working as a kind of informer for HSO, despite the fact that he was a criminal with a minor child, Eve (at eight years old).

Richard Troy was raising Eve - who is definitely his biological child - with the intent of using her for child prostitution. Mira concludes and tells Eve in Reunion in Death that Troy was probably not a pedophile himself, but preferred adult women, something that Eve does vaguely remember. In Interlude in Death, Roarke realizes that his father, Patrick Roarke, had business in Dallas, Texas, with Troy, the same week of Troy's death.

This business is fully realized in Divided in Death: Eve remembers her father telling her in Reunion that she was finally going to start working (or rather, being raped for her father's profit). That Patrick Roarke was there, with cash, on his own business, indicates that Troy was going to sell Eve to Patrick Roarke.

For the record, HSO was perfectly aware that Eve murdered Troy, but cleaned up the body and had the case unsolved, as they had themselves recommended she not be taken out of Troy's custody.

Troy also had business dealings with Max Ricker, the villain of Judgement in Death, and stole money from him. Ricker knew he had a daughter, but over twenty years later, does not make the connection between Troy and Eve.

Troy was under surveillance by the HSO the day he died. He was recorded as having returned to his hotel room at 2:00 a.m. in the morning; in Eve's memories, he begins beating and raping her immediately after his return, during which she kills him. Therefore, his time and date of death is shortly after 2:00 a.m., May 13, 2036.[5]

Patrick Roarke

The father of Roarke. Patrick Roarke was a criminal who had the Irish police in his pocket, as he wielded some minor power. He came to the US in 2036 to ruin Max Ricker's gun-running operation in Atlanta, a situation in which he double-crossed Max Ricker and the police officers, who were paying him to be an informant.

Siobhan Brody ran away from him with their son when Roarke was a baby; upon her return, Patrick Roarke killed her and threw her in the river with the assistance of some friends. He then raised Roarke by having him steal throughout the day and bring back money to him.

With the information that Eve's father was going to start selling her in Dallas, it is to be concluded that Richard Troy was going to sell his daughter to Patrick Roarke.

Roarke believes Patrick Roarke died in 2035 (when he was twelve), but Patrick Roarke actually died sometime in Ireland, 2036, at Summerset's hands.[6]

Patrick Roarke leaves an uneasy legacy behind for Roarke with the experiences of a policeman named Skinner, who held Patrick (appropriately so) responsible for the death of thirteen police officers in an attempt to arrest Max Ricker. Decades later, Skinner has transferred the grudge to Roarke in Interlude in Death.

Sheila Feeney

Sheila is Captain Feeney's wife. She never has any dialog but is often mentioned. Eve appears to be a little afraid of her, but also says she is the best cop's wife she knows of due to her loyalty and lack of complaining about the hours. Feeney often refers to her as "the wife" in front of other cops, but loves her dearly. It is mentioned that she enjoys celebrity gossip, pottery, knitting and also loves getting dressed up for big social events such as Eve and Roarke's annual Christmas party.

Siobhan Brody

The biological mother of Roarke and twin sister of Sinead Lannigan, Siobhan originally was from County Clare, part of a farming family. She came to Dublin at eighteen, hoping for the excitement of a city life. She met and was charmed by Patrick Roarke (see above), and bore his child out of wedlock. He abused her, but she repeatedly asked him to marry her, and in her social worker's words, give Roarke a true father.

She eventually ran away from Patrick and took her son with her to a shelter, but went back, believing she shouldn't take her son away from his father. Subsequently, Patrick Roarke beat her to death and threw her in the River Liffey. Patrick Roarke's real wife, Meg Roarke, then raised Roarke (abusively) until he was about five, whereupon she left.

Roarke resembles his father almost identically, but Siobhan's twin tells Roarke that he has inherited the shape of his eyes from his mother.

Stella

Stella is Eve's biological mother; the evidence for this is that Eve remembers seeing her own eyes reflected in her mother's face in a flashback in Imitation. Eve's mother was a prostitute and a drug addict; in addition, she was abusive. In the flashback, she finds Eve trying on her wigs and reacts badly, grabbing Eve by the hair and beating her. It is in fact Richard Troy that pulls the child away, telling Stella to instead "take a hit", promising her that this child will earn them a lot of money in subsequent years. Eve is about four years old in this flashback and had not yet been raped.

In New York to Dallas Stella is a main character: she is working with Isaac McQueen who ends up killing her.

Candy thief

Unknown character who bedevils Eve by locating and removing her hidden 'candy bars' from her office

References
  1. Robb, J.D. (2004). Divided in Death. New York: G.P. Putnum & Sons. pp. 355. ISBN 978-0-399-15154-5.
  2. Immortal in Death, pg 90 paperback
  3. Memory in Death
  4. Portrait in Death
  5. Divided in Death, chapter 7.
  6. Divided in Death
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