Guest Post: Meet the Characters Featured in the Detective Emily Hunter Series

Author James L’Etoile is again my special guest. He is celebrating the recent publication of River of Lies, the second installment in his riveting fictional crime series featuring Detective Emily Hunter, which is set in Sacramento, California, affectionately known as the River City.

L’Etoile introduced Emily in Face of Greed. The story was inspired by an actual case he investigated during his long career in law enforcement. He found Sacramento — a city rarely featured in crime fiction — “a prime location” because of its unique characteristics. It is not only the capital of California and, accordingly, a place where power is wielded, and deals are made. It is also a town with a history of connections to infamous crimes and criminals, including the Golden State Killer and Dorothea Puente. The city has always had a large transient population and not just because, as L’Etoile observes, people “come and go” in government towns. Both the American and Sacramento Rivers flow through it, and it is a rich agricultural region. And like so many American cities, Sacramento has a significant unhoused population with camps dotted along the shores of the rivers.

In River of Lies, someone is setting fires in those camps, determined to eradicate them . . . and the inhabitants. It falls to Emily and her partner to investigate and apprehend the perpetrator(s) while juggling their professional and personal lives.

Meet the Characters Featured in the Detective Emily Hunter Series

by
James L’Etoile

Thank you for welcoming me back as a guest author!

With River of Lies finally hitting the streets, I thought it might be fun to talk about the characters who inhabit the pages — who they are, what they come from, and what they are most afraid of. And, just for fun, who I think would be a perfect fit if River of Lies made it to the screen.

Emily Hunter is a fun character to write. She’s brash, a little sarcastic, and isn’t shy about revealing what’s on her mind, which does land her in trouble now and again. As a woman in a predominately male organization, Emily feels she must perform at a high level to get the same recognition that her male counterparts receive. It’s a double-edged sword — she excels at her job as a detective, but it comes with a price. She throws everything into her work and has very little time or energy left for a social life. In River of Lies, Emily lets her guard down a bit and deepens a relationship with her cop boyfriend Brian Conner. She’s not one to ask for help, but when her mother’s dementia worsens, Emily ventures into unfamiliar waters and must allow others to give her a hand.

Emily’s a complicated character. Strong to be sure because she can’t show weakness. But to those close to her, she’s big hearted and occasionally vulnerable. If Emily were cast for the screen, I’d see her as Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener), or Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Iles).

Javier Medina is more than Emily’s detective partner. He’s her moral compass. Not that Emily doesn’t do the right thing, but Javier makes sure her shortcuts don’t come back and bite her while she’s focused on the case at hand. Javier is a good detective in his own right and the two make a formidable pair. Adopted as a young child after being left at the border by his undocumented mother, his experience is just under the surface. After a series of foster home placements, he found Lucinda Medina, who took him in as her own. So much so that Lucinda wants a grandchild and is often setting him up on blind dates with the daughters of her church friends. Javier would prefer to find his own way in the romance department and Emily enjoys his furtive efforts to keep Lucinda in the dark about his dating life. I would love to see Ramon Rodriguez (Will Trent) in the role.

River of Lies involves politics, and the former mayor, John Stone, was rooted in corruption and illicit backroom deals. Stone held extreme anti-homeless policy positions and pushed to close many of the shelters and camps. Emily wonders if the new mayor is any different. Ellen Carsten is a political novice – a characteristic that appealed to the voters — but has her eyes on an office with more visibility than a mayorship. Time will tell, but Emily’s first interaction with Carsten is rocky when the mayor takes a harsh stance on crime in the city’s homeless camps. To the Mayor’s credit, she listens to those around her to help her navigate the political landscape. I could see Ellen Barkin as Mayor Carsten. Sassy, tough, and willing to do what it takes to get ahead.

One of those who gives counsel to Mayor Carsten is her Chief of Staff. Ryan Jensen is a political animal who enjoys pulling the levers of power behind the scenes. He’s a holdover from the Stone administration who knows his way around City Hall and sees Mayor Carsten as his ticket to the big time. He’s good looking and he knows it. He’s not afraid to use his charm to get what he wants. Even Emily has noticed Ryan’s attention on her as she navigates this difficult investigation.

Ryan Jensen is narcissistic to a degree, as many politicians are, but there is a self-serving edge to the man. Positioning his boss to get the limelight and the power she seeks will give him a taste of the political influence he most desires. For the screen version of the role, Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible II and Hitman) would be just the right blend.

Let me know who you think would be your ideal cast for Emily and crew.

Meet James

James L’Etoile’s writing is influenced by his twenty-nine years “behind bars,” not as an inmate, but as the associate warden of a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and Director of the Division of Adult Parole Operations with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His novels have been short-listed for or awarded Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers awards. He also pens short stories and screenplays and is a Director at Large for Mystery Writers of America and the Host of Authors on the Air.

Dead Drop, Devil Within, and Dead Drop are the first three installments in his outstanding Detective Nathan Parker series.

Face of Greed launched the Detective Emily Hunter series and has been followed up by River of Lies.

Connect with James at his website, or on Goodreads, X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram or BookBub.