The Characters

Former intelligence operative Max D’Angelo is one of Orpheus’s most experienced assets — resourceful, unconventional and considerably more complicated than he first appears. His history with Giovanni reaches back long before Zoe’s arrival at Orpheus, forged through intelligence work, difficult decisions and debts that neither man has entirely forgotten. Max brings instinct and experience to investigations where conventional methods are unlikely to be enough.

Max D’Angelo

Giovanni Jones — The Count

imagery source: Cold Indifference, Theresa M. Callaghan Ⓒ

Giovanni Jones is the founder of Orpheus, a man whose ability to recognise patterns hidden within apparently legitimate financial structures first drew him into the world of intelligence. A forensic accountant by training, Giovanni learned long ago that money can reveal connections people would rather keep hidden. The events of Shadow Ledger shaped both the man he became and the organisation he later built. Elegant, controlled and rarely inclined to explain himself, the Count remains one of the most influential — and enigmatic — figures in Zoe’s world.

Pebble brings a very different energy to Orpheus: intelligent, determined and capable of acting on instinct when others might hesitate. His experiences have left him with his own ideas about loyalty, justice and what people deserve when conventional systems fail them. Warmth and steel coexist rather comfortably in Pebble — which can make underestimating him a serious mistake.

Pebble (Ranjit Singh-Jones)

Clara Jones

Clara is Giovanni’s daughter, intelligent, observant and far less sheltered from her father’s world than he might sometimes prefer. Her relationship with Orpheus develops as the series unfolds, bringing her increasingly close to its secrets — and to questions about her father, his past, and the organisation he created. She has inherited more of the Count’s ability to notice what others overlook than either of them may realise.

Barnes Blaise is Zoe’s brother and a naval intelligence officer whose professional world occasionally collides rather inconveniently with hers. Protective without being sentimental, Barnes understands better than most the risks Zoe takes when an apparently financial investigation begins to lead somewhere much darker. Their relationship provides Zoe with one of the few constants in a world where trust is rarely straightforward.

Barnes Blaise

Cecilia Bellini

Sophisticated, intelligent and difficult to read, Cecilia Bellini moves comfortably through a world in which influence can matter as much as evidence. Her connections reach further than they initially appear, and her place within the wider story becomes increasingly significant as Zoe begins to uncover the relationships behind apparently unconnected events. With Cecilia, appearances are particularly unreliable.

The Vainglorious Cartel is not a conventional criminal organisation. Its influence reaches across companies, industries and borders, hidden behind legitimate businesses, respectable institutions and people whose connections are not immediately obvious. Zoe’s investigations gradually reveal that apparently isolated events may be pieces of something considerably larger.

The Vainglorious Cartel

Rafael

Luca inhabits the less respectable edges of Zoe’s world, where information has value and loyalty is rarely uncomplicated. Resourceful and streetwise, he understands networks that are invisible to those who operate entirely within legitimate systems. Whether that makes him useful, dangerous or both depends very much on who is asking.

Luca Morelli

The Faceless Ones

Little is straightforward about the Faceless Ones — including who they are, what they want and where their influence begins. They exist at the edges of Zoe’s investigations, glimpsed through technology, secrecy, and connections that are difficult to prove. Sometimes the most dangerous presence is the one that cannot easily be seen.