Protagonist
Maddox Blight
New York medical examiner. Lean, angular, dark-eyed. Faux-hawk, black at the roots and red at the tips. Good boots. A coat that fits properly. Fled the city with a broken heart and a whiskey glass and ended up in a snow globe called New New Providence, which was not the plan but may be the answer. Keeps bees. Writes everything down. Does not bake, but is beginning to understand why someone might.
Sheriff · Love Interest
Alex Lawson
Broad-shouldered, dark-haired, green-eyed. The particular upright posture of someone who has spent years in uniform and never entirely left it behind. Army veteran. Bakes when something is wrong — which means Maddox has learned to treat the smell of bread at midnight as a warning sign. The slow burn is, professionally speaking, a problem.
Deputy · Alex's Sister
Valeria Lawson
Smooth. Warm. A hint of mischief in the voice she uses when calling crime scenes in at midnight. Takes no nonsense. Files everything correctly. Has watched her brother pine for longer than she's willing to admit, and has said absolutely nothing — which is taking considerable restraint.
Valeria's Son · Found Family
Ethan Salgado
A teenager figuring things out. Shows up at the station more than anyone officially explains. Was the first person in New New Providence to introduce himself to Maddox — a handshake in the snow, a flashlight swinging in the dark — and the first to make him feel like he might actually belong. His uncle is the sheriff. He's noticed the baking too.
Alex's Best Friend · Trauma Surgeon
Dr. Cooper Hayes
Army veteran. Trauma surgeon. Orders pancakes the size of hubcaps at 11pm and calls it self-care. Has been Alex's person since high school, through the Army, through the worst of it. Widower. Still showing up. Still laughing, when he can manage it.
Coop's Daughter
Olivia Hayes
Playing a tree in the school autumn play. Described by her father as "essential to the forest ambiance" — her words, not his. Alex's goddaughter. The kind of small person who makes everyone around her slightly more hopeful without trying.
The Cat · Maddox's Familiar
Ganima
Tortoiseshell. Green-eyed. Perpetually unimpressed. Travelled from New York to New New Providence in a carrier she considered beneath her dignity. Has claimed the spot by the hearth. Knocks things off counters to make a point. Offers headbutts in moments of crisis that she will later deny. The only honest character in the book.