Character Wednesdays: Tom Kendall from The Mackenzie Dossier and More!

Welcome to Character Wednesdays!  

You know the drill by now, this is where I interview characters from different books, novels and short stories.  As always: If you're an author and you would like your character to be interviewed, please send me an email.

Tom Kendall from The Mackenzie Dossier, The Marinski Affair, Epidemic and A Killing in the City

All of the books are available in a boxset!

Tell me a little about yourself and the world you live in.  

So what do you want to know, where I was born, stuff like that? Well I was brought up in New York, on the east side. I went to Brook Street School. Miss Lacey, she was my teacher. She was small, but she was tough. You didn’t cross her. Discipline you see, that’s the answer, discipline. You don’t get that now. After school I had a few dead end jobs, working in a store, and then I joined the New York Police Department. I was 17. My father had been a Police Sergeant with the 22nd Precinct, and so had his father before him. Even my uncle had been a police officer in Chicago. Then about ten years ago I left the department and started up as a Private detective, and haven’t looked back since

Tell us your most closely guarded secret?

That’s a tough one, I mean if I told you and you blabbed then where’s the secret? Know what I mean. As long as you don’t tell anyone, and if it gets out I’ll know where it came from, I guess it would be how much I rely on my business partner Mollie. I’d be lost without her, but you don’t tell her that you hear. I’d never live it down.

Tell us about your single most important memory.  What was it and how does it affect you now?

Ah that’s easy. It’s a few years ago now. I was fifteen I think, something like that anyway. Dad had just made Sergeant, and he was being awarded a medal for bravery. My dad, I couldn’t believe it. He was just an ordinary everyday kind of a kind, or at least that’s what I’d thought. He had tackled an armed gunman, and saved a young girl’s life. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a police officer.

What type of person are you?  Are you a hero or do you shy away from conflict?  

I’m no hero, not like my dad. I don’t go looking for trouble. I’m not really the tough guy type, could lose some weight for a start. But if there’s trouble brewing I won’t turn away. I’ll face up to it and hope to give a good account of myself.

Do you have any hobbies, any special talents?

Guess I’d have to answer no to that. I’m just an ordinary guy doing a job. I like the occasional scotch, and I enjoy all the wrong kinds of food. Mollie keeps telling me to eat healthily. She’s right of course, but I do enjoy a burger and fries. Sorry I digress. I Iike most kind of music, but I suppose fifties rock and roll would be favourite. That’s about it I suppose. I did start to learn the guitar about a million years ago, but I had to give it up, I’ve got two left hands you see. No not really, I’m joking.

Do you have anyone close to you, any family or friends of interest?

Well I’ve got no family, not any more. Dad died back in 1990, and mum she left us about six years ago. I think I’ve got a cousin in Oregon, or somewhere, haven’t heard from her for years. Probably wouldn’t know her if I passed her in the street. So now apart from Mike, you know Mike’s Bar, the one relationship I value most must be Mollie, my business partner. Oh it’s not one of those sentimental relationships, and I tell you I would not admit this to her, so you keep it quiet. Truth be known I’d never manage without her. I mean not only does she make great coffee, and keep the office organised, we talk a lot, you know. And she comes up with all kinds of ideas. She lifts my spirit when I’m low. She is one good friend. There is one other special relationship, and that’s my friendship with John. He writes down all of my cases you know. It was my idea, and don’t let anyone tell you different, but I don’t have the time to record everything so John does it for me.

What is your most prized possession?

There’s two, my dad’s Night stick, from the department, and his medal. They have pride of place in my office. I would hate to lose them you know. Oh there’s one other thing, my first watch. My mother gave it to me when I was twelve or something. It doesn’t work any longer, and the glass is cracked, but on the back there’s an engraving – To Tom, with love from mum.

What initially spurred your actions in this story.  Obviously it had to start somewhere for you, give us an idea of where that starting point is and where it all started.

Ah you need to speak to John about that. He writes all the stories down. Sure I tell him what happened. Though I suppose it all started really when I had left the department. I had been a detective with the New York Police Department for ten years, then I decided to try my hand as a private detective. It was then that John and I decided to start writing it down.   

How do you envision your future? 

Well John is currently writing up about when I first started. We hope that will be ready by April. Then John has made a start on another of my cases, so we shall see what the future holds.

Tell us where we can read more about you?  

“The Mackenzie Dossier”, “The Marinski Affair”, “Epidemic”, and “A Killing In The City”

Box Set available!

Author: John Holt

Facebook Author Page 

Amazon Page

Thanks for having me here today. I hope that you and your readers found it interesting.