This page contains outlines of the characters from Robbie Fithon's novels, including candid infromation, author's notes and details of which books they have appeared in.
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MAIN CHARACTERS / PROTAGONISTS
Ruth Virch
Detective Superintendent - Special Branch. Late thirties/early forties Asian woman. The beautiful and sinister unit commander of the newly formed elite counter-terrorism division. Born in Algeria and rescued from an abusive family by a mysterious "charitable agency" in France. Raised in Manchester by Mammy Spencer, she was a champion athlete in her teens and graduated from Oxford with a first class Law degree before starting her career in the French intelligence services. Her background is highly classified. If you access her Ministry of Defence file you will see: Special Operations - Refer to MoD file F/7006/5600/C - Security Clearance AVALON Required - DO NOT ENGAGE.
"I never intended Ruth Virch to be a main character, but when I started writing Rainy City Players, she just took over. It made sense for the whole thing to be about her." -Robbie Fithon
Ruth Virch appears in all the Rainy City books.
Ruth Virch has a cameo appearance in Nuna.
***TRIVIA*** Ruth Virch is the subject of the first and last chapter of all the Rainy City books, though she is never referred to by name in these chapters.
***TRIVIA*** During a dream-sequence at the beginning of Rainy City Game, Ruth Virch makes a very brief reference to "teams of people in white coats" when remembering her childhood, adding to the intrigue surrounding her mysterious past.
Ravi Pindar
Mid thirties Asian guy. Mild mannered private investigator with a penchant for green-tea and deep-house. Ravi became a PI because he wanted a quiet life. He is happy serving papers and investigating insurance claims. Even happier getting down at the Southport Weekender or chilling with his Miguel Migs CDs.
"I wanted Ravi to be the voice of reason amid all these anti-heroes" -Robbie Fithon
Ravi Pindar appears in all the Rainy City books, Nuna and Bassline.
***TRIVIA*** In Rainy City Shakedown, Ravi Pindar tells Johnny Connor about an underground record label called RSR Productions, who are to release one of his tracks. RSR Productions is a real-life deep-house label, which Robbie Fithon co-owns with DJs Si Riley and Ric Gresty.
Nate Williams and Johnny Connor
Nate is black, Johnny white; both late thirties. Two highly decorated SAS veterans sent undercover to investigate a link between organised crime in the UK and terrorist funding. Their mission is to pose as gangsters in Manchester, with an unlimited budget and Ruth Virch as their C.O. Nate hails from a very upper-class background, the son of a wealthy Jamaican diplomat, while Johnny Connor is a Manc who grew up in Moss Side and already has something of a reputation in the city.
"Nate and Johnny are like flipsides of the same coin. Johnny is puerile, undisciplined and verging on psychotic, while Nate is cool, refined and compassionate." -Robbie Fithon.
Nate & Johnny appear in all the Rainy City books.
Nate & Johnny have a cameo appearance in Nuna.
***TRIVIA*** There are repeated references made to the infamous "Hiyt incident", in which Johnny Connor's gung-ho actions apparently caused a major diplomatic crisis, though no more details are given about the actual event. All that is revealed to the reader is that it took place in Hiyt, Iraq, and involved Johnny and "two revolvers."
Jack Bergstromm
Late thirties white guy. The protagonist from Nuna is an ex-paratrooper working as a bodyguard for Chrissy Pope's agency. Jack is quiet and lives alone, having lost the passion for life. When not at work, Jack spends his time making short films and riding his Harley.
"Jack Bergstromm is an extremely likeable guy. Big and quiet with not too much to say for himself. He isn't the brightest bulb in the box and doesn't pretend to be." -Robbie Fithon
Jack Bergstromm appears in Nuna.
Harry Bright
Forty year old white guy. Detective Harry Bright of GMPs Murder Squad is the protagonist in The Girl With The Priyanka Chopra Eyes. Harry is macho, lonely and slightly jaded.
"Harry Bright is your typical anti-hero; cynical and somewhat arrogant, he approaches everything with the same sense of disengagement. A classic Noir character in a modern setting." -Robbie Fithon
Harry Bright appears in The Girl With The Priyanka Chopra Eyes.
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SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Cyrus McKenzie
Late forties black guy. Head of the biggest firm in Moss Side, Cyrus is now so successful, he regularly attends civic functions and is close personal friends with a number of Manchester's most influential political and business leaders. Cyrus gives speeches on inner-city development to the Chamber of Commerce. This is due in no small part to his cunning and charismatic right-hand-man, Juicy Baxter. Juicy wants to be Prime Minister.
"Cyrus and Juicy represent the new face of the criminal elite; those guys who want to go legit. Kids in private schools, memberships to the country-club, that kind of deal." -Robbie Fithon
Cyrus McKenzie appears in all the Rainy City books and Bassline.
Chrissy Pope
Mid-forties white guy. Head of the biggest firm in Salford, and Cyrus's only real rival. Chrissy is an old-school British gangster (you'll get a slap for swearing in front of a woman) with a passion for fast cars and kickboxing. Chrissy and his brothers keep things nice and sweet in Salford, running things from their underground street-racing track, where all the big players come to make deals and bet big money on the races. Chrissy never goes anywhere without his two enormous bodyguards, Andrew and Anthony.
"Chrissy is a modern take on the British gangster stereotype. Big, hard, smart and a little bit sentimental. A proper tasty geezer." -Robbie Fithon
Chrissy Pope appears in all the Rainy City books.
Chrissy Pope is Jack Bergstromm's boss in Nuna.
***TRIVIA*** Although Chrissy Pope plays a significant secondary character in Nuna, he is only ever heard speaking on the telephone.
Tonya Peters
23 year old black girl. Ravi Pindar's girlfriend, whom he meets in Rainy City Players. Tonya used to be a pole-dancer, now she does PR for a record label. Tonya is beautiful, funny and streetwise, though at times a little dizzy. Her main role is to keep Ravi's feet on the ground.
"Most of my female readers tell me they identify with Tonya." -Robbie Fithon
Tonya Peters appears in all the Rainy City books, Nuna and Bassline.
Obe Forrester
Mid thirties black guy. Detective Oberon Forrester, GMP Serious Crimes Squad appears in all the Rainy City books. Obe is extremely good-looking, though this is irrelevant to him, as he is so totally focussed on his work. Obe is always very serious and can at times be quite uptight.
"I like the way Obe Forrester is so good looking, but his cold, dispassionate personality makes him kind of unattractive. In that respect he is like the opposite to Johnny Connor. The things which make Obe such a good guy are the things which make him unattractive to the reader." -Robbie Fithon
Obe Forrester appears in all the Rainy City books.
Obe Forrester appears in Nuna as the officer in charge of the investigation.
Obe Forrester has a cameo appearance in The Girl With The Priyanka Chopra Eyes.
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RECURRING CHARACTERS
Bill Turner
Late fifties white guy. Chief Superintendent Bill Turner is an old-fashioned good copper. Bill has a divorce behind him and teenage kids who hardly recognise him. He is a big fan of Obe Forrester.
Bill Turner appears in all the Rainy City books and The Girl With The Priyanka Chopra Eyes.
Bill Turner has a cameo appearance in Nuna.
Mikey Lomas and Denzel Harrington
Two black detectives, both early thirties. Always dressed in sharp suits and usually scheming some practical joke, Mikey and Denzel provide college-style comedy in the Rainy City novels. Their conversations are abstract and rarely concerned with work, though they are both hard working and highly efficient detectives.
"Mikey and Denzel are what I'd call role-models. Realistic ones. They mess about and have a laugh, but they get on with things. They're smart and ambitious and they appreciate the importance of having fun." -Robbie Fithon
Mikey & Denzel appear in all the Rainy City books.
Dave Ellis
The real-life Manchester DJ is a close friend of Robbie Fithon and has a recurring role in all of the Rainy City novels. Dave acts as a source of information, being cast as an old friend of Nate Williams and Johnny Connor.
***TRIVIA*** Dave Ellis' real-life girlfriend, Louise Roland has a cameo appearance in Rainy City Players.
***TRIVIA*** In Nuna, Dave Ellis is mentioned along with Ric Gresty and Scott Mellors, two of Robbie Fithon's other friends.
Pip-Ant
Peter Anthony Carstairs is the duty-solicitor who represents many of the bad-guys in the Rainy City novels. Mikey and Denzel call him Pip-Ant as an insult. His father is a retired city council leader and Pip-Ant's recurring catchphrase is "Do you know who my father is?"
Nate and Johnny catch Pip-Ant in a compromising position in Rainy City Players, which has repercussions for him throughout the series.
"Pip-Ant is a comical hate-figure really; the kind of guy everyone likes to see take a fall" -Robbie Fithon
Pip-Ant appears in all the Rainy City books.