Person

Book/Story

Cross Refs.

Family

Description

AGNEW, Phillip

A Blunt Instrument

A friend of Neville Fletcher who lives in Queen’s Gate and pursues a delightfully scholarly and ineffective career at the South Kensington Museum. Mentioned in passing.

ANGEL, Angela

A Blunt Instrument

See Glass, Rachel

A curly-haired brunette and friend of Lily Logan in the chorus of the cabaret show at Duke’s who committed suicide 16 months ago by sticking her head in a gas oven. A signed photo of her is found in Ernest Fletcher’s desk, and for a time he supported her in a flat in Chumley Mansions. She died with quite a bit of money in the bank.

BAKER

A Blunt Instrument

Butler to Helen and John North at The Chestnuts, Glynne Road, Marley. Mentioned in passing.

BARNES

A Blunt Instrument

Tenant of Mrs. Prim, on the ground floor of her lodging-house at 43 Barnsley Street, London; he travels in soap. Mentioned in passing.

BROWN

A Blunt Instrument

Owner of a coffee stand on Barnsley Street, London, part of the regular beat of Constable Mather.

BUDD, Abraham

A Blunt Instrument

Outside broker for Ernest Fletcher with an office at 333c Bishopsgate, E. C., he is short and stout, with astute little eyes, a certain oiliness of skin, and an air of open affability that is almost oppressive. He wears a loud suit and bowler hat and is of the Jewish persuasion and gestures with his hands as he speaks

Canterbury, Archbishop of

A Blunt Instrument

Upon inquiry, Hannasyde tells Neville Fletcher that that is who keeps special licences. Mentioned in passing.

CARPENTER, Alfred

A Blunt Instrument

Older brother (34) of Charlie Carpenter; he is employed as a clerk and has not seen his brother in 2 years. Mentioned in passing.

CARPENTER, Charlie

A Blunt Instrument

A small-time criminal most recently living in the basement room at 43 Barnsley Street, London, where Mrs. Prim is his landlady. He was arrested while living with Angela Angel and was in jail for 18 months on the charge of false pretenses. He is 29, 5’9”, 11 stone 6 lbs, with light brown hair, gray eyes, and no distinguishing birthmarks. Though Hemingway sees his face as silly and week, he is flashy-looking and big with the ladies; he dances and sings some, and has worked at a restaurant and been a gigolo at a cheap dance hall in the East End.

CRIPPEN, Samuel

A Blunt Instrument

A master of international intrigue currently employed at Ernest Fletcher’s residence as the Boots. Neville Fletcher adopts this identity for the benefit of the press after Ernie’s murder and even gets his picture in the paper.

CROSS, Sergeant

A Blunt Instrument

Station Sergeant at Marley; he sympathizes with Hemingway on the subject of P.C. Glass.

DIMBERLEY

A Blunt Instrument

A family planning a party for the following week to which Helen North is invited. Mentioned in passing.

DONNE, the Hon. Mrs.

A Blunt Instrument

Present with Ernest Fletcher and Miss Claudine Swithin at the races according to a news-clipping photograph found by Hannasyde and Hemingway in Charlie Carpenter’s room. Mentioned in passing.

DREW, Sally

A Blunt Instrument

Sister of Helen North and currently residing at The Chestnuts, she is a slim young woman with brown curls, a direct, matter-of-fact manner, a monocle screwed into her left eye, and a long cigarette-holder. She informs Neville Fletcher that she is currently considered by critics to be one of the 6 most important crime novelists, and, as a writer, she is particularly interested in psychology, like Sergeant Hemingway. She has always wanted to be in on a real murder, and she hates men with super-polished manners and charming smiles.

DUGDALE, Mrs

A Blunt Instrument

Resident of 39 Barnsley Street, London, hence a neighbor of Mrs. Prim. Mentioned in passing.

Ellis, Havelock

A Blunt Instrument

Detective Superintendent Hannasyde recommends that Sergeant Hemingway go home and read Ellis and Freud if that’s what he reads to help him cope with the demands of his job. Mentioned in passing

EVANS

A Blunt Instrument

Cook to Helen and John North at The Chestnuts, Glynne Road, Marley. Mentioned in passing.

FENTON

A Blunt Instrument

One of Detective Superintendent Hannasyde’s contacts with Light-Fingered Alec.

FLETCHER, Ernest

A Blunt Instrument

Brother of Lucy and Ted Fletcher, hence uncle of Neville, he is head of the family and resides at Greystones, in the Arden Road (or is it Maple Grove?), Marley. He is middle-aged, dark, thin, and natty, with super-polished manners and a light, rather high-pitched voice. He is very pleasant-spoken, not the sort of man who every showed when he was annoyed, and he was known as Ernie or Ernie dear, depending on the gender of the speaker. Not particularly constant.

FLETCHER, Miss Lucy

A Blunt Instrument

Sister to Ernest and Ted Fletcher, hence aunt of Neville, she is a plump and faded lady, pale, with wispy gray hair and mild, rather prominent blue eyes, and a prim little mouth. She is anxious that the people around her be well-nourished, and she is talkative and believes what men tell her.

FLETCHER, Neville

A Blunt Instrument

Son of Ted Fletcher and nephew of Lucy and nephew and heir of Ernest, he is currently living with both of the latter at Greystones, Marley. He is under 30 and looks it, being a willowy young man with thin shoulders wearing often ill-fitting garments, with long-lashed eyes and lank dark hair, a lock falling over his brow, and a sleepy, deprecating smile. He appears to be both pecular and eccentric, with a low-pitched voice, speaking softly and rather quickly, often in a sort of telegraphic style, and he is not given to showing what he feels—if he feels anything at all. Contrary to appearances, he is a trained athlete, holding the record for the high jump and having got a half-blue at Oxford, where he also took double firsts. He hates secrets and other people’s troubles, has no sense of time, and is not bothered by unpaid bills—one can always fly the country. He speaks Serbian and has traveled in the Balkans, and he intends to return. Calling himself a hedonist, he likes people well enough from a distance but finds that closer acquaintance leads to discomfort; most of his friends are women, and he has an uncanny knack for reading people’s thoughts. He is playful, shrewd, and a good actor, and Sally Drew finds him rather reptilian.

FLETCHER, Ted

A Blunt Instrument

Deceased brother of Ernest and Lucy Fletcher, father of Neville Fletcher, mentioned in passing as very talkative and good company.

Freud

A Blunt Instrument

Hannasyde recommends that Hemingway go home and read Ellis and Freud if that’s what he reads to help him cope with the demands of his job. Mentioned in passing.

GALE, Jimmy

A Blunt Instrument

Police officer in charge of Angela Angel's suicide case.

GIUSEPPE

A Blunt Instrument

The emotional proprietor of the restaurant where Charlie Carpenter has been working.

GLASS, Police Constable Malachi

A Blunt Instrument

Originally from Leicester but now in Marley for 3 years, his regular beat includes Greystones, the residence of Ernest Fletcher, whose murder he reports. He has rather glassy, cold, blue eyes and a flat, unemotional voice, and his customary air is of gloomy disapproval. He is not quick but a devout member of his sect, which is also Simmons’s, and reliable, with a real conscience, and he is not one to lose his head or fly off at a tangent. He is often moved by the spirit and quotes the Bible almost continuously. Sergeant Hemingway refers to him as Ichabod.

GLASS, Rachel

A Blunt Instrument

See Angela Angel

Sister of P. C. Malachi Glass, from Leicester. A strictly-raised, romantic village maiden who fell for and ran off with a wavy-haired tenor, Charlie Carpenter.

HANNASYDE, Detective Superintendent

A Blunt Instrument

Investigates the murder of Ernest Fletcher assisted by Sergeant Hemingway and hindered by the Bible-quoting PC Glass, the inconsequential Neville Fletcher, and the general unwillingness of the suspects to tell him the truth. His office is somewhat comfortless, he speaks evenly, and his manner is business-like, but with a twinkle.

HEMMINGWAY

A Blunt Instrument

Assisting Detective Superintendent Hannasyde in investigating the murder of Ernest Fletcher, he is sorely tried by local constable PC Glass and by Fletcher’s nephew Neville, though he does appreciate the latter’s dirty stories.. A polite man, he has intelligent, bird-like eyes, thinks of things in terms of psychology and drama, is good at chatting up servants, and doesn’t believe in all this female emancipation, finding it unnecessary. He believes that the more difficult a case becomes, the easier it will be to solve.

HEPWORTH, Constable

A Blunt Instrument

Police officer who aids P. C. Glass in the initial investigation of the murder of Ernest Fletcher.

ICHABOD

A Blunt Instrument

Sergeant Hemingway's nickname for P.C. Malachi Glass.

JENKINS, Dora

A Blunt Instrument

An under-housemaid with frizzy curls who chooses a corner of Barnsley Street to have “what you might call a chat” with her swain, Sydney Potter. When Charlie Carpenter is killed and the police ask her some questions, she hopes to see her picture in the paper.

Jevons, Inspector

A Blunt Instrument

Policeman assigned by Hannasyde to find out more about Angela Angel. Mentioned in passing

Job

A Blunt Instrument

P. C. Malachi Glass likens himself to Job in that his days pass swiftly and see no good.

LAWRENCE, Mr.

A Blunt Instrument

Solicitor to the Fletcher family and regarded by Miss Fletcher as a friend, he wears a pince-nez and feels that Neville Fletcher ought to take responsibility for his considerable inheritance.

LAWSON

A Blunt Instrument

A contact of Sergeant Hemingway who tells him of Charlie Carpenter's whereabouts.

LIGHT-FINGERED ALEC

A Blunt Instrument

A probable descendant of Leaky Peg who knows where to find Charlie Carpenter.

LOGAN, Lily

A Blunt Instrument

A dazzling blonde chorus girl of whom Ernest Fletcher has a photo, dressed in an ostrich feather fan. Confidante of Angela Angel.

LYNE, Sergeant

A Blunt Instrument

Police officer assigned to investigating the houses in the neighbourhood of Barnsley Street, London, Charlie Carpenter’s neighborhood.

MAITLAND, Jerry

A Blunt Instrument

One of Helen North's former swains, mentioned in passing.

MALLARD, Peter

A Blunt Instrument

A friend of John North who resides at 17 Crombie Street, London, whom John says he visited on 17 June, the night Ernest Fletcher was murdered.

MATHER, Constable

A Blunt Instrument

A freckle-faced, serious young man whose beat includes Barnsley Street, London, where Mrs. Prim’s lodging-house in located.

MONA LISA

A Blunt Instrument

The subject of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait La Giaconda. Described by Sergeant Hemingway as a pie-faced creature with a nasty, sly smile to whom Neville Fletcher bears an uncanny resemblance.

NEWTON

A Blunt Instrument

Police officer who handled the earlier case of Charlie Carpenter.

NORTH, Mr. John

A Blunt Instrument

Husband of Helen North for 5 years, he resides with her at the Chestnuts, in Glynne Road, Marley, though his business sometimes requires him to travel for weeks at a time, and since his business is situated in London, he maintains a service flat in Portland Square for times when it is most convenient to stay overnight in town. He is of average height, well-built and good-looking though rather unapproachable, with a bit of a chin, and he thinks more than he says, being not easily rattled and by no means a fool. He attended Oxford and has considerable means. With respect to Helen he is protective, but 2 years ago he made clear to her that he would tolerate neither debts nor indiscretions on her part.

NORTH, Mrs. Helen

A Blunt Instrument

Sister of Sally Drew and wife of John North for 5 years, she resides with him at the Chestnuts, in Glynne Road, Marley. She has golden, corn-colored curls, soft blue eyes, and a lovely face in general, not to mention a fondness for gambling which she seeks to keep from her husband, a situation not alleviated by her friendship with Ernest Fletcher, and a tendency to melodrama which Neville Fletcher finds offensive.

POTTER, Sydney (Syd)

A Blunt Instrument

Dora Jenkins’ companion “propping up the wall,” “kissing and canoodling” in Barnsley Street when Charlie Carpenter is killed.

PRIM, Gladys

A Blunt Instrument

Daughter of Mrs. Prim; mentioned in passing.

PRIM, Mrs.

A Blunt Instrument

Owner of a lodging-house at 43 Barnsley Street, London, and Charlie Carpenter’s landlady; she dislikes policemen, particularly saucy ones.

ROBINSON, Peggy

A Blunt Instrument

Charlie Carpenter's actress wife\ whom he abandoned; she then took up with another man and died a couple of years ago of pneumonia following influenza. Mentioned in passing.

SIMMONS, Joseph

A Blunt Instrument

Butler to Ernest Fletcher at Greystones, in Maple Grove, Marley, for 6 1/2 yearsand a member of the same religious sect as P. C. Malachi Glass, he preserves an air of pious gloom.

SIMMONS, Mrs.

A Blunt Instrument

Cook to Ernest Fletcher at Greystones, in Maple Grove, Marley, and wife of Joseph Simmons, she is plump and respectable.

Skipper

A Blunt Instrument

Hannasyde’s nickname for Hemingway.

SMART, Horace

A Blunt Instrument

The Marley postman, address 14 Astley Villas, who cleared the box at the corner of Glynne Road on the evening Ernest Fletcher was killed.

SMITH

A Blunt Instrument

Ernest Fletcher's alternate identity, used, for example, to rent a flat for Angela Angel.

SMITH, Henry

A Blunt Instrument

A London taxi-driver who, when engaged by an anonymous gentleman in evening dress to drive to the Piccadilly Hotel, had no idea that he would become embroiled in a police investigation. Mentioned in passing.

SWITHIN, Miss Claudine

A Blunt Instrument

Present with Ernest Fletcher and the Hon. Mrs. Donne at the races according to a news-clipping photograph found by Hannasyde and Hemingway in Charlie Carpenter’s room. Mentioned in passing.

TRUE, Inspector

A Blunt Instrument

Officer at the Marley police station. Mentioned in passing.