Characters

Someone asked where the names and personalities of the characters in the DS Pete Gayle series come from.

The short answer is, 'So many places.'

Pete himself was named after a good friend of mine who was also best man at my wedding many years ago. His surname was an alteration of the spelling of the name of the editor I was working with when the idea for him came up. We were working on a thriller - The Venus Flaw - when she suggested I should do crime fiction.

Dave Miles was a combination of two school-mates, Pete Miles and Dave Bishop. His look comes from a friend of my father's.

Dick Feeney is named for a former member of Thames Valley police, whose dry wit inspired Dave Miles' sense of humour. He died some years ago but is still an inspiration to many, including myself. The character's look was inspired by a customer who used to come into our local camera shop, who we called 'The Smoking Man' after the character in the X-Files.

Jane Bennett is inspired by another school friend of mine. She was kind, witty and intelligent as well as attractive and a true friend.

Pete's wife Louise was named for a friend and work colleague from Birmingham - who also happens to be married to a Peter and work in a hospital, but is nothing like the fictional Louise in personality or looks, although she does have dark hair like the character. 

Ben was the nickname of one of the lads I was at college with, though he didn't have spiky hair.

And Jill was another school friend, though again, she looked nothing like the character and was, in fact, an active member of the Salvation Army from a young age.

Colin was named for a friend and colleague of Louise's and mine at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham, his look and character based loosely on a combination of Morse's boss and another fictional TV detective while DCI Silverstone is a bit like a younger version of Frost's boss, though even more of a jobsworth.

So, all in all, the characters, their names, looks and personalities come from a whole variety of sources, some real and others fictional, but they combine elements from all these places in unique ways that hopefully make them stand out as individuals in their own right.