Who is Inspector Thomas Lynley from A Great Deliverance and what is their importance?

Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley is a detective at New Scotland Yard in London. Lynley, who just so happens to be the 8th Earl of Asherton, is an aristocrat with a finely-tuned sense of justice. Lynley was educated at Eton and Oxford. He is a man of privilege who does not allow his elevated social class to affect his dealings in the field. Lynley is unpretentious about his wealth and he wears his affluence with ease. Inspector Lynley drives a Bentley automobile and has a valet named Denton, who is having a relationship with the lady's maid of one of Lynley's close friends, Lady Helen Clyde. Lynley is a romantic at heart, who feels things more deeply than one would imagine. Inspector Lynley is in love with Deborah, wife of another close friend, Simon Allcourt-St. James. It is obvious that Lynley is still not over his feelings for Deborah, but he is learning to let go. Lynley was best man at Deborah and Simon's wedding. Although there is still some tension on Lynley's part, Simon Allcourt-St. James does not seem to notice.