The Foundations of Fiction: Character Development Profile – DI Jack Mooney, “Death in Paradise”
As writers, part of our mandate is to develop strong, multidimensional characters. Studying traits of other characters can provide inspiration and ideas in the development of our own creations.
Today, we’re shining a light on Jack Mooney of “Death in Paradise.”
Name: Jack Mooney
Occupation: Detective Inspector on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie. Formerly Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police Service, London.
Marital Status: Recently widowed.
Children: Daughter, Siobhan
Allies: Detective Sergeant Florence Cassell, Office Dwayne Meyers, Officer JP Hooper, Catherine Bordey, Siobhan.
Enemies/Antagonists: Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (though he is occasionally an ally.)
Appearance: Average height with close-cropped brown hair with a bit of curl. When we first meet Mooney in London, he wears a suit and tie. After his transplant to St. Marie, he favors short-sleeved button-down shirts (occasionally he wears a long-sleeve button-down with the sleeves rolled up) with a slightly askew tie and colored jeans or khakis.
Quotable Quotes:
Mooney: “Don’t you worry, Commissioner.Discretion, tact, and dignity are my middle names. I mean, not really. It’s actually Fintan. After the little-known St. Fintan . . . you don’t need to know that. It’s fine.”
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Mooney: “I had a one-armed uncle who collected cufflinks.”
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Mooney (speaking of his superior in London): “I mean, he genuinely is a terrible man.”
Commissioner Patterson: “He spoke very highly of you.”
Mooney: “He wasn’t drunk, was he?”
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Accent: Irish
Drink of Choice: Beer. Island cocktails. Red wine. Despite being Irish, despises Guinness.
Overview: We first meet Mooney when DI Goodman and his team work a case with him in London. After solving the case, the recently widowed Mooney and his daughter decide to take a holiday in St. Marie to heal from their loss. When DI Goodman decides to stay in London for love, Mooney in turn decides St. Marie is just the change he needs and makes plans to stay indefinitely as the commanding officer for the police force.
Much like his predecessor, Mooney takes quite quickly to St. Marie, immersing himself in the various festivals, recipes, and other customs. However, he is reluctant to start dating again and shuns offers of blind dates or any suggestion of romance.
Strengths: While DI Poole was stuffy and DI Goodman a gangly mess, Mooney is happy-go-lucky. He’s gregarious and eccentric with a fondness for spinning yarns about the old country (Ireland) and his large family. Beneath the breezy exterior, Mooney displays a particular cunning when investigating murders, allowing suspects to think they’ve got the better of him with his Columbo-like, “one more thing” manner. He’ll flip through an empty notebook, throw a suspect a melon to catch right before he handcuffs them, or launch into a rambling anecdote, all to neutralize the accused.
He’s devoted to his daughter, ready to drop any and everything for her if need be. He’s a foodie of sorts, cooking breakfast every morning or asking Catherine for her melon curry recipe. He respects his team’s dedication to getting the job done and enjoys spending time with them at Catherine’s after work.
He gamely agrees to introduce Commissioner Patterson when the former is honored with a prestigious award – until he realizes he doesn’t know anything about his boss. Mooney still gives it the college try (even though it goes badly).
Vulnerabilities/Tics/Quirks/Flaws: A teller of long-winded tall tales, Mooney’s penchant for yarns can leave the listener with their eyes rolling back in their head as they wonder what his point is. He’s prone to having entire conversations with himself when he’s puzzling out a case and very often seems like he has no idea what he’s doing (and will sometimes admit it). When on a case, he’s not above munching on an offered slice of pizza from a suspect, taking a bite of cake baked by a suspect, grabbing a handful of sweets from a candy dish, or eating a hard-boiled egg en route to a crime scene (the breakfast he didn’t get to finish).
Takeaways:
- Mooney is a good-natured, outgoing, long-winded with an acute ability to disarm his suspects so completely, they never see him coming.
- Mooney’s devotion to his daughter and grief over the loss of his wife, bring some of his quirkiness down to Earth.
- Mooney’s status as a widow gives the character a new road to travel down and makes him relatable to those who’ve experienced loss in their own lives.
Hints for Character Development:
Charm can come in a lot of different packages. It can be the smooth and handsome Romeo, the engaging woman with a knack for remembering the tiniest details, making you feel special or the warm or an outgoing spinner of tall tales. Mooney’s offbeat charisma, dedication to his daughter and brilliant investigatory skills make for an intriguing, imminently watchable character. The trauma of losing his wife give his character somewhere to go, first as we watch him heal and later as he navigates potential new romances and entanglements and what impact that could have on his daughter.
When it comes to developing a quirky character, be mindful you avoid quirky for the sake of quirky (particularly if it’s your protagonist or antagonist). Eccentric characters with no depth can become grating, predictable, and tedious. What grounding traits can you give your oddball character to make them real or relatable? Is there a past trauma you can point to? A special relationship? A run-of-the-mill hobby? Holly Golightly is famously kooky, but her worry over the welfare of her younger brother, Fred, is what keeps her grounded.
Giving an idiosyncratic character a particular talent or specialty, also helps to round them out and gain our respect.
