Peter Darnley

Grumpy but brilliant, Darnley would have forged a very successful career in the Met if he had known when to shut up and nod.

His investigative instincts lead him down a path he would rather not tread but something haunting him from his past prods him onwards. A sense of justice, fearing for a vulnerable young girl who he knows he can help. Darnley finds himself in a world that he can barely believe exists but that logic drags him inexorably towards.

Hoffman has to call Peter out of retirement when, in The 11th Apostle, he finds himself at the centre of a watertight police case - with the water rapidly filling up around his nostrils. Darnley comes through and, being him, he cannot leave the mystery alone - relentlessly researching into more areas he finds barely credible. Still, Darnley once again fits the pieces together, proving to be invaluable to Hoffman once again.

You have to read to the very end of The 11th Apostle to understand Darnley's true fate - he really does have the final word!