The heroes and villains of Sleuth

Detective Eric Miller

Eric Miller is, first and foremost, a man of honour, but one who has a past filled with pain and sorrow. Once he had a wife and son and baby girl, but seven years ago they were killed in an as-yet unsolved murder. His son’s body was in fact never found, and so, though in his heart he knows his son is dead, he has not been able to let him go. Even now he still puts missing posters up, hoping someone might shed light on the events of that tragic day.

Eric is particular about his clients, and if he has a bad feeling about a case or the person offering the job, he will turn it down. His sense of justice remains as strong as it ever was, but because of his own experience, he has come to live by and respect his own moral code and internal sense of justice before the law of the land. When push comes to shove, he will do what’s right according to his gut, even if it goes against the law.

Frank ‘The Fixer’ Cartwright

Frank ‘the Fixer’ Cartwright was born into a gangster’s life. He followed in his father’s footsteps, and those footsteps were always on the wrong side of the law. However, whilst he is definitely not a good man, he is not precisely a bad one either. He lives his life by a code of honour and justice, though it may be more ruthless and bloody than the codes and morals of those in ‘normal’ society.

His role in the criminal world is well established, and he is a man of status, the right hand man of one of the most powerful men in Britain’s underworld. Frank Cartwright is a man who fixes problems, however they need to be fixed; he’ll use blades, bullets or words with equanimity. He has dealt with members of the police and political figures in both legitimate and underhanded ways, and respects straight dealing and honesty. He is essentially and honourable man, and respects other men of honour.

Inspector Donovan

Donovan is looking out for number one, and has been pretty much since the day he was born. He will try and find some way to personally profit from any situation he finds himself in. His driving motivation for joining the police force was the power and status it would give him, and the opportunities it might provide for personal gain. The rules and the law are there to be enforced when it suits him, ignored when it doesn’t.

He’s charismatic and seems pretty likeable, but there is perhaps an almost intangible feeling of wrongness about him, something slimy, perhaps ruthless, possibly even dangerous. He has taken bribes and falsified evidence, but always when he was sure he would be safe from discovery/exposure. He’ll follow the letter of the when it does not impact him, or when it serves him purpose, but as soon as he stands to gain something it, and everything else, falls by the wayside. His ‘extracurricular’ work has involved doing things for powerful and shadowy figures, and he doesn’t always know the wider impact of what he’s doing. He doesn’t much care, as long as he is paid well.