David Hunter

David Hunter is the main character, narrator, and protagonist. Nearly every scene includes him and every scene is described by him. We therefore get a thorough understanding of his psychological condition. He is always mindful of his deceased wife and daughter and troubled by the tension between his obsessive work habits and his often lonely girlfriend Jenny who lives with him in London. Hunter's professional specialty is forensic anthropology. During the novel he conducts several investigations of burned bodies and determines the circumstances of their deaths with great skill. The lack of a police detective pushes Hunter into that role too. He is less comfortable and less effective as a detective. One three occasions Hunter is nearly killed and spends most of the novel enduring a badly separated shoulder. In the penultimate scene, he suddenly realizes that Brody has been responsible for the first murders.

Andrew Brody