WARNING: THERE BE SPOILERS HERE.
JEANNIE ARCHLAND – Spinster sister of Neville Archland, daughter of Maybelle van der Sloot Smith. Guardian to James Beaumont’s daughter, Sally Beaumont. (The Rage of Innocence)
MAYBELLE ARCHLAND – Nee, van der Sloot Smith. Society matron and mother to Neville Archland and Jeannie Archland. She enlists the powerful Society scions the van der Sloots when the scandal surrounding the Countess Alena Oleski threatens to stain the reputations of her son, Neville, and his fiancee, April Walker. (The Rage of Innocence)
NEVILLE ARCHLAND - Lawyer and heir to the Archland/Smith fortune, member of the fabled Four Hundred of 1870s Old New York City Society. Son of the late Royce Letterman Archland and Maybelle van der Sloot Smith, sister of Jeannie Archland, husband of April Walker Archland, and inamorata of the Countess Alena Maginot Oleski. Asked by the powerful Maginot family to dissuade the Countess Oleski from seeking a divorce from her husband, Count Julien Oleski of Poland. (The Rage of Innocence)
ASHLEY - Assistant Manager at Serious Joe. (Making a Scene)
GINA BARDONE – Former defense attorney, Washington D.C. lobbyist, up-and-coming star for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Chief-of Staff for Congressman John C. (Jack) Falco. Paramour of Lt. Douglas Welland, and object of his sexual obsession. Native of Riverboro. (Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
ERIKA L. BARDONE - Long-time Riverboro County Courthouse court reporter who had a courtroom named in her honor. Aunt to Gina Barone and who raised her, as well as Gina’s inspiration to go into law. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
ROARK CARMELLI – Former Camden, NJ, police detective, retired after a stint of desk duty resulting from a shoot-out where his partner, Lt. Douglas Welland, was injured. Now owner/operator of a coffee bistro and bakery in Riverboro, Serious Joe. Paramour of Pamela Flynn. (Making a Scene, Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
CARMEN CELESTE – Baby who was tossed from a window during a shoot-out in which Lt. Douglas Welland was injured. Caught by Lt. Roark Carmelli, and later adopted by Bennie and Lucinda Peterson. (Making a Scene)
DIEGO CHIOLO – Manager and Horse Trainer at Jack Falco’s farm at Arney’s Mount. Husband of Selma. (The Lady’s Choice)
SELMA CHIOLO - Operations Manager at Jack Falco’s farm at Arney’s Mount. Wife of Diego. (The Lady’s Choice)
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN (JACK) COLVIN FALCO, JR. - U. S. Congressman from a South Jersey District which includes Riverboro. Descendent of a long line of politicos on both sides of the family, which includes a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Runs for Governor of New Jersey. From Haddonfield, NJ, and with an ancestral family farm near Arney’s Mount in Burlington County. Has a reputation as a ladies’ man, monikered “The Ladies’ Choice.” Was once People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” Paramour of Leslie Parks. (Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
JACOB FLAADGER – Friend of Neville Archland, and owner of a large estate along the Hudson River, which boarders the van der Sloots’. Archland visits the Flaadgers while the Countess Oleski is staying at the van der Sloots. (The Rage of Innocence)
PAMELA FLYNN – Bestselling writer of the sexy detective series set in Philadelphia, Tanaka & Shields. Her series is set to be bought by Hollywood, but only if she has her fictional characters, Dana Shields and Jack Tanaka cut the double-entendre and consummate their relationship. She develops a severe case of writer’s block when she witnesses her boyfriend, Josh Hazelton, having sex with her oldest childhood friend, Karen Smolkowski. Lives in Riverboro, formerly of Trenton, NJ. Paramour of Roark Carmelli. (Making a Scene, Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
CAPTAIN ALEX HALCHAK - Captain 5th District, Detective Unit, City of Camden, NJ Police Department. Lt. Doug Welland’s superior. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
RAINER HAMILTON – Old New York Society’s authority on family and connections. Family friend of Neville Archland. (The Rage of Innocence)
JOSH HAZELTON – Pamela Flynn’s former live-in boyfriend, whom she caught having sex with her oldest childhood friend, Karen Smolkowski, resulting in Pam’s writer’s block. (Making a Scene)
BARRY HELDERON – CEO of pharmaceutical company, Ledbetter/Davis, and Leslie Park’s former boss. (The Lady’s Choice)
DR. LATEESHA IBAYAH, MD, DO – Chief of the Forensic Investigations Lab for the 5th District, City of Camden, NJ. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
DEBORAH LAMBERTON – Investigator for the New Jersey State Police Cyber Crimes Unit (CCU). (Long, Hard & Lethal)
MALLORY LEARY- Campaign Manager for Jack Falco’s bid for governor of New Jersey, and Leslie Park’s boss at campaign headquarters in Riverboro. (The Lady’s Choice)
LAMOTT LEONARD – Friend of Neville Archland, Old New York Society expert on Form. (The Rage of Innocence)
CAPTAIN MCDUFF - Police officer in charge of security at the Riverboro Courthouse rally where Congressman Jack Falco is set to announce his run for Governor of New Jersey. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
LUCUS MUMSFORD – Defendant in the last trial in which Attorney Gina Bardone participated. His possible conviction was used by then District Attorney Ted Parks to bribe Gina into sexual submission. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
NED – Owner of the Crown and Fife Inn in Frenchtown, NJ. (The Lady’s Choice)
MALCOLM O’DOUL - Bestselling Political Scandal author and friend of Pam Flynn’s. Lives in Greenwich Village, NYC. (Making a Scene)
COUNTESS ALENA OLESKI – nee, Alena Maginot. Granddaughter of the powerful Society martiarch, the widow Alice Maginot, cousin to April Walker, niece and ward of Cecilia (Cissy) Maginot, and wife of the Polish Count Julien Oleski. She raises a scandal when she comes to New York after many years abroad to seek a divorce from the Count. Her family enlists the aid of attorney Neville Archland to dissuade her, with whom she engages in a secret alliance. (The Rage of Innocence)
COUNT JULIEN OLESKI – Polish Count married to American, Alena Maginot, magnate of a diamond importing empire, and known for his fiery temperment. (The Rage of Innocence)
LESLIE PARKS – Former corporate and freelance journalist and speechwriter, owner of Parks Business Solutions in Riverboro, her hometown. Wife of Ted Parks, best friend to Pam Flynn. Loses business and assets when Ted is arrested. Is hired as speechwriter for Congressman Jack Falco. Paramour of Jack Falco. (Making a Scene, Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
TED PARKS- Former District Attorney, Campaign staffer for Governor Jack Falco. Husband to Leslie Parks. Is arrested for cyber-stalking Gina Bardone. (Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
MARCUS PENNINGTON - Chief-of-Staff for U.S. Congresswoman Antonia Perez. Friend of Gina Bardone. (Long, Hard, & Lethal)
LT. BENNIE PETERSON – City of Camden Police Detective, 5th District. Husband of Lucinda. Adoptive Father of Carmen Celeste. (Making a Scene)
LUCINDA PETERSON – Wife of Lt. Bennie Peterson. Adoptive mother of Carmen Celeste. (Making a Scene)
MISS ELLA POTTER – Doug Welland’s landlady and de facto mother. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
CONSUELO RAMIREZ- Pam Flynn’s editor who orders her to add a consummation scene to her book before it could be pitched to Hollywood. (Making a Scene)
LA BOCA RODRIGUEZ – Camden prostitute with a germ phobia. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
LEE ROLAND – Pharmaceutical heir, New Jersey State Senator, DNC heavyweight, playboy and chief-of-staff for Congressman Jack Falco after Gina Bardone resigns. Former lover of Gina Bardone. (Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
ADA ROUSEMANN – Mistress to Neville Archland, wife of his haberdasher. Archland breaks it off with her on the day he becomes engaged to April Walker. (The Rage of Innocence)
DANA SHIELDS – Fictional detective in Pamela Flynn’s Tanaka & Shields novels. (Making a Scene)
KAREN SMOLKOWSKI – Pamela Flynn’s oldest childhood friend who was caught in flagrante delicto with Pam’s live-in boyfriend, Josh Hazelton, leading to Pam’s writer’s block. (Making a Scene)
LT. WADE STEWART – Police detective for the City of Camden, NJ, 5th District, and Lt. Douglas Welland’s partner after Lt. Roark Carmelli retires. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
JACK TANAKA – Fictional detective in Pamela Flynn’s Tanaka & Shields novels. (Making a Scene)
SENATOR RICHARD THORNSON - U.S. Senator from New Jersey. Mentor to Jack Falco. Jack Falco, when he was sixteen, served as a Senate page to Sen. Thornson. (The Lady’s Choice)
TRACY- House prostitute at the LuLu Lounge in Camden, NJ. (Long, Hard & Lethal)
APRIL WALKER – Daughter of Reginald Daarvand Walker and Regina Maginot Walker, granddaughter of the powerful Maginot family matriarch, the widow Mrs. Alice Maginot. Cousin to the Countess Alena Oleski, she becomes engaged to and then marries Neville Archland, seemingly unaware that her fiance and cousin are harboring a secret passion for each other. (The Rage of Innocence)
RENEE WEINBERG - Pamela Flynn’s literary agent, who constantly pushes Pam toward her deadline to write the Tanaka and Shields consumation scene. (Making a Scene)
LT. DOUGLAS WELLAND - Police detective for the City of Camden, NJ, 5th District. Former partner to Roark Carmelli. Welland was injured during a shoot-out, after an argument with the object of his sexual obsession, Gina Bardone. Partner to Wade Steward. Ordered to take a medical leave-of-absence. Paramour of Gina Bardone. (Making a Scene, Long, Hard & Lethal, The Lady’s Choice)
FAQs
I know you probably made it up, but where is Riverboro supposed to be?
You’re right, I did make it up. I write fiction, remember? But if you have to know, it’s in Southern New Jersey, about twenty miles south of Trenton, along the Delaware River. It’s the County Seat of an unnamed county, but loosely based on Burlington, a real gentrified South Jersey town along the Delaware.
What’s a “Serious Joe”?
Serious Joe is the name of Roark Carmelli’s Cafe and Bistro in Riverboro, NJ. He bought it after he retired from the Camden, NJ Police Department, and it is where he first met Pamela Flynn.
All these characters seem to know each other. Is this supposed to be a series?
Although it doesn’t have a catchy name, like “Lord of the Rings,” I call it the Riverboro series, with Making a Scene first, Long, Hard & Lethal next, and ending up with The Lady’s Choice. If you read all three, you’ll see Roark and Pam are featured through all of them, with their story (somewhat) concluding at the end of The Lady’s Choice.
Lee Roland’s kind of hot. Any plans to have him fall in love?
Maybe. If I can pin him down. But knowing Lee, it’ll probably be a menage a trois.
Wait…didn’t you write something else? I thought I saw your name on a short story.
You’re right, oh observent one. It’s called “The Virgin Principle,” and you can find it here at Ravenous Romance.
