ORIGINALLY PHOTOGRAPHER - BUT ACCIDENTALLY AMATEUR SLEUTH

Joana is known for her quick thinking and problem-solving, which comes in handy when travel plans end with a dead body. As for green tea, it’s less a drink and more a lifeline for her: the civilised pause in a day that usually involves muddy boots, missing suspects, and at least one argument with Fraser.
Words are Joana’s weapon of choice. Brian claims she’s too sharp for her own good, but Joana notices he never objects when her sarcasm is aimed at someone else. People tend to tread carefully around her comments, which suits her fine.
Rules are more like suggestions, as far as Joana is concerned - especially the ones that come from Fraser. If something doesn’t make sense, she ignores it. This approach tends to land both Brian and Joana in Fraser’s bad books, but Joana has never been much good at standing on the sidelines.

VERY RELUCTANT SIDEKICK WITH A PENCHANT FOR MISHAPS.

Brian is the sort of person who can be counted on to bring snacks, but not to remember where he left his phone. Early mornings and anything resembling exercise are met with quiet horror. He means well, but his enthusiasm tends to scatter in all directions, sometimes missing the obvious. As the resident tech expert, he prefers his clues digital and his crime scenes at a safe distance, ideally behind a screen. He and Joana have been friends since university, more like siblings than anything else, though sometimes Joana feels like his minder. In theory, he loves the idea of adventure. In practice, he’d rather be on his sofa with a takeaway, especially if the forecast mentions rain. He’s never quite forgiven Joana for her habit of tripping over corpses and insisting they get involved.
Brian’s real talent is for finding things online that most people would never think to look for. He has a way of slipping through the internet’s back alleys, emerging with exactly the detail the sleuthing duo needs.

WORD MANGLING POLICE OFFICER

DC Murray isn’t quick on the uptake, but what he lacks in cunning he makes up for in decency. He trusts easily – too easily, sometimes. He scraped through the police academy near the bottom of his class, but his classmates still voted him 'Most Likely to Run Into a Burning Building.' DCI Fraser saw something in him that the examiners didn’t: a work ethic that never falters, and a trustworthiness you could set your watch by.He has a soft spot for Joana and does what he can to help with her sleuthing, careful not to attract too much attention from his boss. Loyalty to his boss comes first, but he’s quietly convinced Joana’s instincts are worth following.Murray’s efforts at police jargon rarely land as intended, which at least keeps things interesting. His reputation for butchering proverbs and idioms is well-earned. Fortunately, Brian has become fluent in 'Murray-speak' and now acts as interpreter.

JOANA’S FRENEMY WITH BLOOD PRESSURE ISSUES

DCI Fraser is normally based in Aberdeen, but due to his high profile in catching serial killers, he is deployed all over Scotland, whether he likes it or not (and he does not). Rules are Fraser’s natural habitat, and he polices Joana and Brian with the same zeal he reserves for actual criminals. The sight of Joana is enough to send his blood pressure soaring. He has made a hobby of barking warnings at Brian and Joana to stay out of police business, usually with threats of arrest that sound only half-jest. Still, for all his bluster, Fraser listens more closely than he lets on. He would never admit it, but Joana’s meddling has helped him out of more than one tight spot. He is sharp and intelligent, but impatient, and relies on DC Murray to keep the wheels turning, though his habit of making quick arrests sometimes lands him in trouble when the case refuses to fit the usual pattern.