Characters

Isidore Charlatan: Decline of a Star. Charlatan was once a famous and respected detective who has solved numerous high profile cases both in Europe and the States finds himself at the nadir of his life. Living in New York he met his close friend Magda O'Neill and his ex-fiancé, Adeline Buffet the flapper to whom he gave his heart. The financial crash of 1929 robbed him of his material wealth and in so doing it robbed him of his wife to be for Adeline was a woman used to a life of luxury. Heartbroken, Charlatan very quickly loses interest in his job, his appearance and his life in general. He makes his way back to Paris and his family home to spend his time drinking and contemplating suicide.
Magda O'Neill: The best female journalist of Paris-Matin. Magda O’Neill came to Paris-Matin seeking employment after the New York paper she worked for collapsed due to the financial crash that has afflicted her country of origin. She came to Paris following her friend Isidore Charlatan in his hour of need. Raised in South Carolina she has Irish-French Canadian roots and formally lived in New York having graduated with a Distinction in Journalism from New York Metropolitan University. Her distinct habit of wearing men’s trousers is seen as a personality quirk, but it hasn’t stopped her from outperforming most of the men who work on our newspaper.
Kamir Gerou: Professor with a hidden identity. Half Algerian, as a boy of 12 he moved to Paris when his parents died in a factory accident. He soon had a new adopted family – Des Algerians Douze – a violent gang that perpetrated many crimes before being brought to justice. Gerou spent 18 years in prison where he passed the time educating himself so that on his release he attended University and graduated in French Literature. Today he can found as a Professor in the French Literature Department of the Ecole Centrale Paris and surely has no links to the seedy underworld he once belonged to? Nevertheless the Police keep an eye on this man who once killed three soldiers in bar-brawl with his bare hands. It is said that the Count has paid him a visit at the University, but Inspector Louis will neither confirm nor deny this report.
Adeline Buffet: Flapper Girl to Socialite. Our information on this infamous flapper is compiled from what our reporter, Magda O’Neill was able to unearth on her. Raised by a poor family in Annecy, at 16 she left for the bright light of Paris and ended up as one of the city’s top dancers in the Cabaret Noir. Her ambitions eclipsed Paris and within ten years she had crossed the Atlantic to New York where she entertained wealthy men. It was there that she met the womanising Isidore Charlatan, the celebrated detective, who renounced his philandering ways having lost his heart to her. Within two months they were engaged to be married and their names were always on the lips of New York’s high society. When Black Tuesday struck in 1929 Charlatan was left penniless and as Adeline was accustomed to a life of luxury she deserted him within forty-eight hours of the financial crisis. Within six months she resurfaced in Paris back in the nightlife she had previously abandoned and married the infamous Count – the black hearted rogue who seems beyond the Law despite the fact everyone knows he runs the Parisian underworld.
Inspector Louis: Inept Officer of the Law. Graduated from Police Academy with Isidore Charlatan and when his rival left for the States he was able to be promoted to Chief Inspector. A long term gambler he remains a bachelor and despite rarely solving a serious crime his other hobby is to have his photo taken with either the Mayor the Head of the Police. He is suspicious as to why Charlatan has returned to Paris as he fears his job may be in jeopardy, although he is hopefully that in Charlatan’s current mental state his rival may commit suicide and thus he’ll remain Chief Inspector. He is often shadowed by Fabrice, his deputy and lap-dog who runs whatever errands he demands.
The Count: Malevolence incarnate. His father, the Count de Joulier was among those present at Sedan in 1871 when Napoleon III surrendered to the Prussians spelling an end to the Second Empire and the aristocratic titles that came with it. Though just five years old at the time, the Count has not forgotten the blue blood that flows through his veins though his illegal activities have made him more profit that his birthright would have ever given him. During WW1 he was seriously wounded in a Zeppelin air raid and left in a wheelchair. His disability has not prevented him from single-handedly running the Parisian underworld nor has it seen his enemies show him any less respect. Having recently married Adeline Buffet they live together in the centre of Paris in a huge villa. To further her aspirations to become a singer he has bought the Cabaret, Noir Rose and placed her as the top billing. He is well aware that Charlatan was left devastated by Adeline’s desertion and this is exactly the state of mind how he wants to keep the once eminent detective in. Adeline is nothing more than an asset to be disposed of when she is no longer useful.



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