Paris Noir: Character Profile….Donovan

Who is Donovan?

Donovan… the shadowy adversary from Rafael’s past who resurfaces intent on revenge. The spark for his return is Rafael’s refusal to join him after discovering Donovan was a corrupt, dirty cop. In crafting Donovan, I aimed for a ruthless, cold, and calculating antagonist whose presence forces the hero to change. An arch-nemesis must alter the protagonist’s life, and in this series that role falls to Rafael.

Rafael is a former police officer who reinvented himself as a criminal justice professor to shape the next generation of law enforcement. He undergoes the most significant character development in the series, confronting his past choices while striving to live honorably. He is fiercely devoted to his goddaughter, as shown in the first two books, and would go to any lengths to protect her.

Donovan is consumed by obsession and driven to obliterate Rafael’s life. He levels chilling threats against Rafael, specifically targeting the one person Rafael loves most—his goddaughter. With a personal vendetta, Donovan knows Rafael’s history, his mistakes, and the vulnerable spot that could bring him down. Donovan will be the nemesis that will change the course of the series moving forward. How will he change the outcome of the series? Only I would know.

His obsession not only focuses on Rafael but also extends to Hannah. Hannah understands that her godfather wants to protect her at all costs, yet Donovan will stop at nothing to drive a wedge between her and the man who watches over her. He is a man who once murdered many people while hiding behind the authority of his role as a law enforcement officer. In temperament and methods he echoes Doug, the disgraced former cop from Deadly College Murders, whose dark past Rafael investigates in Deadly Vows.