Characters from the Amsterdam Assassin Series
Protagonist
Katla Sieltjes, freelance assassin and corporate troubleshooter. Blessed with an almost non-existent conscience, Katla, expert in disguising homicide, regards murder for profit as an intricate and rewarding occupation. Hidden behind her male alter ego Loki, Katla receives anonymous assignments, negotiates the terms with clients through electronic means, all to protect her identity.
Friends and Allies
Bram Merleyn, a blind jazz musician. Philosophical and pragmatic, Merleyn has carved out his own tranquil niche in a world restricted by the severity of his affliction. His existence revolves around jazz music, shiatsu and aikido. Lives in the basement of a Japanese club on the edge of Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
Zephaniah 'Zeph' Catadupa, Merleyn’s best friend, fellow musician and devout Rastafarian. Lives on an old river barge, berthed in the bay of the Zeeburg peninsula on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where he grows marihuana in his cargo hold.
Bianca Merleyn, Merleyn’s younger sister. Runs a luncheonette in the Berenstraat, one of the Nine Streets, a shopping district in the Amsterdam city centre.
Anouk Ravensdonk, Bram's ex-girlfriend, makes mobile sculptures for outdoors under the name Nouk. Lives on Prinseneiland, near the Centraal Station, with her cats Baaba and Newk. Her interest in Katla goes beyond the influence Katla exerts over her ex-boyfriend.
Zephaniah 'Zeph' Catadupa, Merleyn’s best friend, fellow musician and devout Rastafarian. Lives on an old river barge, berthed in the bay of the Zeeburg peninsula on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where he grows marihuana in his cargo hold.
Bianca Merleyn, Merleyn’s younger sister. Runs a luncheonette in the Berenstraat, one of the Nine Streets, a shopping district in the Amsterdam city centre.
Anouk Ravensdonk, Bram's ex-girlfriend, makes mobile sculptures for outdoors under the name Nouk. Lives on Prinseneiland, near the Centraal Station, with her cats Baaba and Newk. Her interest in Katla goes beyond the influence Katla exerts over her ex-boyfriend.
Antagonists in Reprobate
Deborah Stern, DEA Liaisons Officer, American Embassy, The Hague. Newest addition to the division. Assistant to Bishop, Creaux and Nicholson. Born of Dutch parents, raised bilingual. Switched from field work to office job after traumatic injury sustained during raid [prior to appearance in Reprobate/referred to in flashbacks]. Has a drinking problem she's attempting to deal with. Principal character in DEA chapters.
Simon Ligtvoet, Katla’s adversary. Principal member of a drug trafficking ring supplying the Benelux, France and West Germany. Lives on a houseboat in Haarlem with Violette, an ex-call girl, and their baby daughter, Carmel. Mediates between Trix and Loki in Menendez murder.
Trix, Supplies Simon Ligtvoet with information in return for a stake in the drug trafficking ring. Intelligent, cynical, manipulative. Mastermind behind Menendez murders.
Jerome Bishop, DEA Chief Liaisons Officer, American Embassy, The Hague. Pragmatic chief of DEA unit. Handles political affairs.
James Creaux, DEA Police Liaisons Officer, American Embassy, The Hague. Street-wise sociable prankster.
Barry Nicholson, DEA Intelligence Officer, American Embassy, The Hague. Slightly introverted, high IQ, short on social skills.
Jésus Menendez, DEA Undercover agent. Colombian nationality. Represents the Cali cartel abroad. Murdered by Loki, killing ordered by Trix through Ligtvoet.
Vincent Poort, member of the Skunks, motorcycle mechanic, Ligtvoet’s closest friend and accomplice in the Loki ambush attempt after the Menendez murders.
Kasper Coevorden, unofficial leader of the Skunks, legless after motorcycle accident that killed Harrie, the leader. Has a biker café, De Zwarte Kat, at the edge of the city.
Simon Ligtvoet, Katla’s adversary. Principal member of a drug trafficking ring supplying the Benelux, France and West Germany. Lives on a houseboat in Haarlem with Violette, an ex-call girl, and their baby daughter, Carmel. Mediates between Trix and Loki in Menendez murder.
Trix, Supplies Simon Ligtvoet with information in return for a stake in the drug trafficking ring. Intelligent, cynical, manipulative. Mastermind behind Menendez murders.
Jerome Bishop, DEA Chief Liaisons Officer, American Embassy, The Hague. Pragmatic chief of DEA unit. Handles political affairs.
James Creaux, DEA Police Liaisons Officer, American Embassy, The Hague. Street-wise sociable prankster.
Barry Nicholson, DEA Intelligence Officer, American Embassy, The Hague. Slightly introverted, high IQ, short on social skills.
Jésus Menendez, DEA Undercover agent. Colombian nationality. Represents the Cali cartel abroad. Murdered by Loki, killing ordered by Trix through Ligtvoet.
Vincent Poort, member of the Skunks, motorcycle mechanic, Ligtvoet’s closest friend and accomplice in the Loki ambush attempt after the Menendez murders.
Kasper Coevorden, unofficial leader of the Skunks, legless after motorcycle accident that killed Harrie, the leader. Has a biker café, De Zwarte Kat, at the edge of the city.
Antagonists in Peccadillo
Pascal Vermeer, accountant for Sphinx Shipping, Katla's legal source of income. A compulsive gambler, Pascal is indebted to the Kau Hong, who are planning a hostile takeover.
Kau Hong Triad, a ruthless gang led by Gene Zhang, with his enforcers Lau and Nicky. Former runners for the 14K triad, went rogue and formed their own gang. While the Kau Hong behaves like a triad, they have no real triad affiliations. When they attempt a hostile takeover of Sphinx Shipping, Katla has to go into hiding and fight back as Loki to neutralise the threat or lose everything she worked for.
14K Triad, one of the oldest triads in the world, their presence in Amsterdam is mostly behind the scenes. Enemies of the Kau Hong. When one of their advisors is brutally murdered by the Kau Hong, the 14K hire Xiao Chang to eradicate the gang once and for all.
Xiao Chang, an independent contractor, specialised in long range kills. Chang is a former army sniper, trained in guerilla warfare in the jungles of Laos, Birma, and Vietnam. Addicted to heroin and tailored Italian clothes, Chang works for anyone who can afford his exorbitant fees that allow him to enjoy the finer things in life. Realising his limitations in a city like Amsterdam, he tries to enlist Loki as a Close Quarter Combat specialist to help him against the Kau Hong.
Manfred Kiekendief, a terminally ill gunsmith and arms dealer. Manfred supplies Chang with sniper gear and gets sucked into the conflict when Chang needs assistance of another kind.
Kau Hong Triad, a ruthless gang led by Gene Zhang, with his enforcers Lau and Nicky. Former runners for the 14K triad, went rogue and formed their own gang. While the Kau Hong behaves like a triad, they have no real triad affiliations. When they attempt a hostile takeover of Sphinx Shipping, Katla has to go into hiding and fight back as Loki to neutralise the threat or lose everything she worked for.
14K Triad, one of the oldest triads in the world, their presence in Amsterdam is mostly behind the scenes. Enemies of the Kau Hong. When one of their advisors is brutally murdered by the Kau Hong, the 14K hire Xiao Chang to eradicate the gang once and for all.
Xiao Chang, an independent contractor, specialised in long range kills. Chang is a former army sniper, trained in guerilla warfare in the jungles of Laos, Birma, and Vietnam. Addicted to heroin and tailored Italian clothes, Chang works for anyone who can afford his exorbitant fees that allow him to enjoy the finer things in life. Realising his limitations in a city like Amsterdam, he tries to enlist Loki as a Close Quarter Combat specialist to help him against the Kau Hong.
Manfred Kiekendief, a terminally ill gunsmith and arms dealer. Manfred supplies Chang with sniper gear and gets sucked into the conflict when Chang needs assistance of another kind.
Antagonists in Rogue
Laure Cohn, Homeland Security agent sent to the Netherlands to head a sting operation. The objective: to catch a freelance assassin called Loki and blackmail him to work for Homeland Security. For free.
Carel Basalt, Chief Inspector with the Amsterdam Municipal Police, he's assigned to aid Laure Cohn.
Marijn Polak, Brigadier with the Amsterdam Municipal Police. Basalt's trusted assistant, a former covert police officer.
Deborah Stern, ordered by Jerome Bishop (see above) to work together with Laure Cohn.
Sonne Richter, field operative with the German Bundeskriminalamt or BKA, counter-terrorism specialist.
Dieter Henker, former field operative with the BKA, now intelligence officer with the counter terrorism team.
Joost Riem, member of motorcycle gang the Skunks. A charming sociopath, Joost is destitute after the German operation of the Skunks is put on ice following the developments in Reprobate. When Joost pretends to be an informer for the BKA, he finds out who Loki really is, and plots revenge for the deaths of his fellow Skunks.
Raymond Troostwijk, member of the Skunks, cook and bouncer of their Biker Cafe De Bonte Hond. A gentle giant, he nevertheless allows himself to pulled into Joost Riem's nefarious schemes.
Carel Basalt, Chief Inspector with the Amsterdam Municipal Police, he's assigned to aid Laure Cohn.
Marijn Polak, Brigadier with the Amsterdam Municipal Police. Basalt's trusted assistant, a former covert police officer.
Deborah Stern, ordered by Jerome Bishop (see above) to work together with Laure Cohn.
Sonne Richter, field operative with the German Bundeskriminalamt or BKA, counter-terrorism specialist.
Dieter Henker, former field operative with the BKA, now intelligence officer with the counter terrorism team.
Joost Riem, member of motorcycle gang the Skunks. A charming sociopath, Joost is destitute after the German operation of the Skunks is put on ice following the developments in Reprobate. When Joost pretends to be an informer for the BKA, he finds out who Loki really is, and plots revenge for the deaths of his fellow Skunks.
Raymond Troostwijk, member of the Skunks, cook and bouncer of their Biker Cafe De Bonte Hond. A gentle giant, he nevertheless allows himself to pulled into Joost Riem's nefarious schemes.