William Somerset

Living… in urban decay. Somerset doesn’t really care where he goes as long as it’s away from where he lives now. The city’s crime is rampant, it rains incessantly, and the only hope a person can have is to get used to it.

Profession… Detective Lieutenant. Somerset has been a detective for too long and has seen too much in his line of work. He’s throwing in the towel, in a sense – handing over his badge, retiring to the countryside. He has one last week to serve and one last case. For this case he’ll work with his eventual replacement, the young, spirited Detective Mills.

Interests… art, literature, books, and classical music. Somerset is very cultured and has a scholarly air about him. In this way he sees himself as markedly different from most of the city’s inhabitants. “People don’t want a hero,” he tells Mills, “they want to eat cheeseburgers, play the lotto and watch television.”

Relationship Status… perpetually single.When Tracy, Mills’ wife, asks Somerset why he isn’t married, he says he came close once. He admits, “Anyone who spends a significant amount of time with me finds me disagreeable. Just ask your husband.”

Challenge… solving his last case. Somerset feels he’s seen it all and that nothing can stop the madness and evil that surrounds him in the city. He views his job as picking up the pieces. Most murders go un-avenged and detectives merely document it all. In his last case, Somerset is determined to find a serial killer among a world that is utterly lost.

Personality… calm, thorough, meticulous, jaded, and disillusioned. Somerset embodies resigned detachment. He is a scholar of depravity – feeling that he has seen it all and unwilling to see any more.