Phillip Bethancourt
is my fictional detective. He is an independently wealthy Englishman in his mid-twenties, living in a flat in Chelsea. He is exceptionally intelligent, but rather lazy, and prefers to do his detecting by looking over the shoulder of Gibbons (his friend at Scotland Yard). Bethancourt is an observer of human nature and is only interested in those cases which he finds challenging or at least enlightening. He has an awkward relationship with his parents, and thoroughly dislikes his sister. He drives a grey Jaguar.
Hobbies:
Fencing (at which Bethancourt is very good) and polo (at which he is barely tolerable, but nonetheless enthusiastic).
Physical Description:
Bethancourt is about six feet tall, slender, with fair hair that usually needs cutting, and horn-rimmed glasses. He has hazel eyes.
Education:
Bethancourt took a first in Classics at Merton College, Oxford.
Family History:
The Bethancourt family hails from Yorkshire, where they are a solid county family. Their money is "new" money, earned by Bethancourt's great grandfather, who bought the family house, Wethercross Grange, from an impoverished noble family. His fortune was much increased by Bethancourt's grandfather. Bethancourt's father did not inherit the financial genius of his sire but has kept the family fortune intact. Bethancourt himself has invested the money given to him when he came down from Oxford and is now quite wealthy in his own right.

Cerberus
is Bethancourt's dog. He is a Borzoi hound and large for his breed. He was given to Bethancourt as a puppy by Bethancourt's sister, who had gone a little overboard in trying to impress a titled lady who breeds Borzois. Rather than garnering an invitation from the lady, Bethancourt's sister was given a puppy. Since she had no desire for the animal, she promptly foisted him off on her brother. Bethancourt was not initially over-joyed by this, but quickly grew fond of the dog. Cerberus is extremely well-trained and well-behaved and is named for the three-headed dog that guards the gates of hell in Greek myth.

Jack Gibbons
is Bethancourt's best friend and luckily happens to be a Detective Sergeant at New Scotland Yard. He is of average height, a little stocky in build, with reddish-brown hair kept short and blue eyes. Gibbons is a workaholic and very ambitious; Scotland Yard has high hopes of him. However, his dedication to work means that his social life leaves something to be desired. He does not have a girlfriend. Gibbons comes from a large family, being the youngest of six children (five brothers and one sister). Gibbons and Bethancourt were acquainted with each other at Oxford, but their friendship stems from an encounter a year or so after they came down, when they chanced across each other at a London pub. Gibbons had just joined the police and was depressed over the apparently insoluable case he was then working on, while Bethancourt had just been shown the door by his girlfriend. They teamed up to drown their sorrows and Bethancourt became interested in Gibbons' case.

Marla Tate
is Bethancourt's girlfriend. Marla is a fashion model and she is gorgeous. She has coppery hair, jade-green eyes, and a figure that stops traffic. Marla is great at parties, but is known for her temper and Bethancourt spends a lot of time talking her round after he's offended her. He does this on a regular basis because Marla loathes his amateur sleuthing and is liable to take offense when he is helping Gibbons rather than paying attention to her. Ironically, the fact that she cannot always bend him to her will is probably why she stays with him. He stays with her for obvious reasons.

Wallace Carmichael
is a Detective Superintendent at Scotland Yard and Gibbon's superior. Carmichael is a detective from the old school, having worked his way up from constable. He was not too sure about the idea of university-educated policemen, but Gibbons has changed his mind about that. Carmichael is a fair man and a good teacher. He is sixtish, and has been married to Dottie for thirty years. They are very comfortable in their marriage and live in a small house outside London. They have two grown children. Carmichael is not always happy about having Bethancourt tagging along on his investigations, but experience has taught him that Bethancourt is at least discreet and can occasionally be helpful. Carmichael is an inveterate cigar-smoker.

Other characters...

Robert Bethancourt, Phillip's father, is a county magistrate. He and his wife, Ellen, live at Wethercross Grange (referred to locally as just "the Grange") near Appletreewick in Wharfedale. They are both in their fifties, both tall, slender, and fair. Neither of his parents approve of their son's lifestyle and are constantly urging him to get a job. Robert has imposed on his friend, the Chief Commissioner of Scotland Yard, to allow Phillip to take part in investigations in the hope that this will inspire Phillip to join the police force. Thus far, his hope has been in vain.

Ellen Bethancourt, Phillip's mother, is a bit of a social-climber and has very little sense of humour. She likes to think that the Bethancourts have a position in society to uphold and that Phillip is falling down on the job. She abhors his lack of employment, but unlike her husband, she is not really eager for Phillip to join the police force, since she considers the police to be socially inferior.

Margaret Sinclair-Firthing is Bethancourt's sister. She is four years his senior, and resembles him greatly, except in having blue eyes. If Ellen has very little sense of humour, Margaret has none. The siblings have never got on terribly well, but although Bethancourt can be a manipulator par excellence when it suits him, he has never managed to wriggle out of anything Margaret demands he do. She considers him even more disgraceful than does her mother, but nevertheless finds him occasionally useful as a babysitter, or to fill in at her dinner parties. Margaret wanted to marry a title, but when that did not work out, she did the next best thing and married a man she feels sure will someday be knighted.

Denis Sinclair-Firthing is Margaret's son. He is about six, a charming, tow-headed child who is vaguely fond of his uncle and adores his uncle's dog.

Spencer Kendrick is a noted fashion photographer. He is tall, very thin, and wears his hair in a ponytail. He is nearly ten years older than Bethancourt and Gibbons, but became fast friends with Bethancourt almost the moment they met. Kendrick is laconic and famous for remaining calm under the most trying circumstances (which are often encountered in the fashion industry).

Giles Porter is a friend from Oxford. He is getting chubby and his hair is beginning to thin on top, and he is a bit hapless. Like Bethancourt, he comes from a well-to-do family.

Although the last story was published in 2002, I have not altogether abandoned the idea of doing more of them, but the novels are keeping me awfully busy just now.

The stories all take place within two or three years while Gibbons is still a Detective Sergeant and while Bethancourt is dating Marla. In the last story, Gibbons is studying for the Inspector exams and is due to be promoted to that rank in the next story. Bethancourt and Marla's relationship is also undergoing a change.

The Dressing Table Murder
October 1988
The introduction to Bethancourt, Gibbons, and Marla. Also published in the anthology "Murder Most Cozy" (Signet).

Murder in the Garden
March 1989
In this one Bethancourt has been invited to play polo--a very rare occurence as he is a poor player despite his enthusiasm for the game. The story takes place in the country.

Murder at Christmas
January 1991
An unidentified corpse is found in an elderly woman's attic in Dorset. This is the first story where Carmichael is featured as a character, although he has been mentioned before this.

The Charnwood Forest Murder
June 1992
Bethancourt's first independent case. A friend of his sister's, convinced an elderly lady in her village has been murdered, calls on Bethancourt to look into the case. The local police believe it was an accident. He drags Gibbons off to Leicestershire for the weekend to help him, but Gibbons is more interested in enjoying the countryside.

The Recalcitrant Witness
May 1993
Probably my favourite so far. Marla is called upon to seduce the answers Bethancourt wants out of a recalcitrant witness. Cerberus also plays a large part.

The Birthday Murder
July 1994
London in the middle of a summer heat wave. This is also the debut of Spencer Kendrick, the fashion photographer. He had been in my mind for some time, but I had never managed to work him in before.

Murder at Rokeby House
March 1995
A murder crops up at one of Britain's stately homes, owned by Arnold Prendergast, who was at Oxford with Bethancourt. Also published in the anthology "Murder at Tea Time" (Signet).

Murder in the Vestry
October 1995
There are several acquaintances of Bethancourt's from Oxford here, chiefly Giles Porter. He is the only one of them that Bethancourt still keeps up with. I stretched a point to have Gibbons invited to the wedding, since he and Bethancourt did not run in the same circles at Oxford.

Bones in the Rose Garden
August 1997
Another one of my personal favourites. I have always liked the Major and Doucet.

Death in the Dales
January 1999
Probably the best of the stories so far. It was nominated for a Derringer Award for best novella of 1999. This one takes a personal turn. Bethancourt returns to his childhood home in Yorkshire and his parents are introduced.

The Model Murders
December 2000
Gibbons is now a Detective Inspector, and investigates the deaths of fashion models while Bethancourt has the flu.

The Body in the Boot
May 2002
Bethancourt buys a new S-Type Jaguar and finds a surprise in the boot.