Principal Characters in The Devonshire Crime Thrillers

The main characters in my British Police Procedural Novels, The Devonshire Crime Thrillers

Please note that suspects, witnesses and minor characters are not listed here. There are two reasons for this; one is that it would risk spoiling the plots, the other is that the list would be too long to be useful.

For a glossary of general terms often used in British police procedurals, please use the link below:

The Devon and Cornwall Police

At Heavitree Police HQ – Exeter

In Order of Rank, highest to Lowest. In the UK, becoming a detective is a sideways move rather than a promotion, so a detective constable and a uniformed constable have the same rank. The same applies to all the ranks whether in uniform or CID.

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Henry Goodrington

The ACC is a uniformed officer.

In CID (Criminal Investigation Department), plainclothes detectives

Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS) Mark Boyce

Something of a stickler, Boyce prefers to be referred to as ‘sir’.

Detective Superintendent (DSU) John Chisholm

Chisholm is usually addressed as guv or guv’nor. He could have his own office but prefers to have his desk in the main office where he can keep his beady eye on the proceedings.

Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Brian Wendell

A hands-on officer who is quite likely to turn up at a crime scene, Wendell likes his colleagues to call him Bri.

Detective Inspector (DI) Oliver Nicholson

Known to his colleagues as Ollie, Nicholson is a mild-mannered officer who excels in back-office roles. He is skilled in using the computer system HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System).

Detective Sergeant (DS) Patrick Reilly

Known as Paddy, he’s a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants copper who knows the streets.

Detective Sergeant (DS) Claire Baintree

In 1992 Baintree is based in Plymouth but drafted in to help Exeter CID.

Detective Sergeant (DS) Terry Gray

A career detective, Gray is an experienced officer who has transferred to Devon after many years of working in London as a detective with the Metropolitan Police (The Met).

Detective Constable (DC) Adrian Cove

Known to his colleagues as Ade, Cove is an experienced detective who might well have been promoted to DS, but during his earlier career he lacked ambition. He studied Sociology at university.

Detective Constable (DC) Jenny Hoggarty

A no-nonsense detective, Hoggarty has had to work harder than her male colleagues to prove herself in the male-dominated world of the police force in the 90s. Hoggarty likes to be known as Jen.

Detective Constable (DC) Timothy Spiller

Spiller served time as a uniformed constable before transferring to CID. Keen and with a strong sense of right and wrong, Spiller has a sharp mind. His colleagues refer to him as Tim. He is happily married to Shiela and fully intends to stay that way.

Uniformed Officers – sometimes referred to by CID as ‘uniform’

Superintendent Patrick Keeney

Sergeant Colin Goodwin

Goodwin works as a desk sergeant where he keeps close tabs on the activity at Heavitree. Like all sergeants in the UK police, he is referred to as Skip or Skipper.

Sergeant Phil Barker

Barker is the custody sergeant, meaning he oversees the custody suite (the area in which suspects are booked in and detained). The interview rooms are also in the custody suite, and these cane be used for the police to conduct interviews or for detainees to consult with their legal advisors.

Woman Police Constable (WPC) Francesca Donovan

A young officer, Donovan generally works with her uniformed colleagues but has been drafted in to help CID during a major investigation. In the 90s, inequality still existed in police forces, and WPCs were sometimes expected to fulfil supporting roles. The rank of WPC was eventually phased out, but the pace of change depended on the force.

Police Constable (PC) Howard McClintock

A young, keen constable.

Other Roles

Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCOs)

Head of SOCO Rajiv Ahmad.

Ahmad is a civilian, and as well as managing crime scenes, he coordinates the various experts and specialists who handle forensic tests and analysis. The tests are carried out elsewhere and under strict lab conditions, and cross-contamination must be avoided, so those specialists will never visit a crime scene. Ahmad previously worked in London for The Met.

In the Archive at Heavitree

Archive Manager Geoffrey Higgins.

Usually known as Geoff, Higgins maintains the store of records which includes notebooks, statements and so on. Many records were still on paper in the 90s, and there were also historic files dating back over decades.

Admin Assistant Sharon Little

An assistant in the archive, she works under Geoffrey’s supervision but is a forceful character.

At the Post-Mortem Examination (PM)

Forensic Pathologist Dr Helena Lishman

Dr Lishman will carry out a thorough examination of a body and try to ascertain the cause of death, and to understand the events leading up to death. To help in this, she will commission a range of tests which will be carried out under strict lab conditions.

Pathology Assistant Karen McDermid

Recurring Characters

Barry Leeman alias Mr Phipps alias ?

Leeman is a fixer who works for hire, but he’s also known to have carried out his own brand of vigilante justice.

Ronald Johnson – Ronny

An informant with many contacts, Ronny is also a community activist. He works at the Wimpy burger bar attached to a ten-pin bowling alley in Exeter.

The first book in this crime thriller series, Lawful Duty, can be found at books2read.com/lawfulduty