J.A. Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson
This espionage thriller series features septuplet sisters who were taken from their mother as infants and raised to be assassins for the US government. Their physical appearances and DNA are identical, strangely enough, and so are their fingerprints. All seven grew up to be elite spies working for a covert agency called Hydra; an agency so secret that very few people know it even exists. Trained by The Instructor, they have honed their bodies, their instincts, and their minds to become the perfect weapons.
CANON
HIT
EXPOSED
NAUGHTY
FLEE
SPREE
THREE
CHARACTERS IN HYDRA
CHANDLER
Chandler is a conflicted heroine, an assassin who deep down wants to be the good guy. After the couple she thought were her parents were killed in a car accident, she was raised by a cruel and abusive man. At age fourteen, she ran away with her boyfriend, only to get trapped in his brutal crime spree. Eventually he was arrested, and she went into the juvenile justice system. A caring parole officer was helping her get her life back on track when she was recruited into Hydra by The Instructor.
HYDRA DOSSIER: Codename: Chandler—Stats: Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. One hundred and twenty pounds. Five feet six inches. Specialties: Undercover ops. Seduction. Interrogation. Eidetic memory. Pilot. Vehicle and machinery expert. Long and short range weapons. Edged weapons. Hand-to-hand combat, judo, karate, tae-kwon-do, capoeira, krav maga, kendo, jujitsu, 52 blocks. Speaks ten languages. Weaknesses: Self-doubt. May crack under pressure. Panic control. Fear of drowning.
FLEMING
A genius who was raised by a supportive family, Fleming used to be a field operative like Chandler, until she was disabled on a mission. After losing the use of her legs (they're broken beyond repair, but she isn't a paraplegic), she turned her attention to creating miraculous inventions and being Chandler's handler, but she's always longed to return to the field. As Chandler's handler, Fleming goes by the name of Jacob and only communicates with Chandler over the phone using electronic voice distortion or via dead drops. Chandler discovers Jacob is actually her sister Fleming in FLEE.
HYDRA DOSSIER: Codename: Fleming—Stats: Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. One hundred and twenty pounds. Five feet six inches. Specialties: Computers. Programming. Math. Eidetic memory. Pilot. Vehicle and machinery expert. Undercover ops. Seduction. Leadership. Long and short range weapons. Edged weapons. Hand-to-hand combat, judo, karate, tae-kwon-do, capoeira, krav maga. Speaks fifteen languages. Weaknesses: Since accident, no longer suitable for field work. Demoted to research and development, running operations, intel.
HAMMETT
Hammett is a dangerous psychopath with all the training and experience of Chandler and none of the moral fabric. She's a superassassin, and she loves her work. She suffered horrible abuse as a child at the hand of the man she believed was her father... until she killed him. Unsympathetic to her fellow human beings, she has a soft spot only for animals, specifically dogs.
HYDRA DOSSIER: Codename: Hammett—Stats: Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. One hundred and twenty pounds. Five feet six inches. Specialties: Undercover ops. Seduction. Leadership. Interrogation. Eidetic memory. Pilot. Vehicle and machinery expert. Long and short range weapons. Edged weapons. Hand-to-hand combat, judo, karate, tae-kwon-do, capoeira, krav maga, kendo, jujitsu. Speaks twelve languages. Weaknesses: Antisocial personality disorder, sadism, narcissistic personality disorder, delusions of grandeur, impulse control.
CLANCY
Every bit a sniper, Clancy is patient and quiet, with a dry sense of humor. She keeps to herself, being accustomed to spending long hours alone, and has a creative imagination. She's the best of the septuplets with firearms.
HYDRA DOSSIER: Codename: Clancy—Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. One hundred and twenty pounds. Five feet six inches. Specialties: Long and short range weapons. Eidetic memory. Hand-to-hand combat, judo, karate, tae-kwon-do. Speaks five languages. Weaknesses: Leadership. Deceased in FLEE.
LUDLUM
Team builder, negotiator. Ludlum was placed with a couple who had a troubled marriage. So in addition to her training, she became very good at negotiation and bridging differences in a group.
HYDRA DOSSIER: Codename: Ludlum—Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. One hundred and twenty pounds. Five feet six inches. Specialties: Explosives. Pilot. Eidetic memory. Hand-to-hand combat, judo, karate, tae-kwon-do. Speaks fifteen languages. Leader. Negotiator. Strategic thinking. Problem Solver. Weaknesses: Not as efficient with firearms as are her sisters. Deceased in FLEE.
FORSYTH
Forsyth's talents lie in manipulating others, and she can become whatever is required. This makes her a stellar undercover operative.
HYDRA DOSSIER: Codename: Forsyth—Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. One hundred and twenty pounds. Five feet six inches. Specialties: Undercover ops. Seduction. Eidetic memory. Short range weapons. Edged Weapons. Hand-to-hand combat, judo, karate, tae-kwon-do, krav maga, jujitsu. Speaks seventeen languages. Weaknesses: Long range weapons. Obedience. Deceased in FLEE.
FOLLETT
She is loyal, a model soldier, raised by stable, military parents.
HYDRA DOSSIER: Codename: Follett—Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. One hundred and twenty pounds. Five feet six inches. Specialties: Vehicle and machinery expert. Short range weapons. Security expert. Loyalty. Patriotism. Eidetic memory. Hand-to-hand combat, judo, karate, tae-kwon-do, capoeira, krav maga, kendo, jujitsu. Speaks ten languages. Weaknesses: Leadership. Autonomy. Creative thinking. Deceased in FLEE.
CHARACTERS BEHIND HYDRA
JACOB
Jacob is Chandler's handler. See Codename: Fleming above.
THE INSTRUCTOR
The man behind the top secret Hydra super assassin program as well as Hydra Deux. A brutal task master, he manipulates everyone around him, running the program single-handedly. He trained super spies Chandler, Fleming and Hammett as well as their now deceased sisters Ludlum, Clancy, Forsyth, and Follett, one at a time; no sister knew of the others' existence until Hammett, Ludlum, Clancy, and Forsyth joined forces in Naughty. Chandler and Fleming didn't discover each other or the other four until FLEE. The Instructor also trained the spies of Hydra Deux. Appears in all books, and The Instructor is always capitalized. Deceased in THREE.
PRESIDENT RATZENBURGER
Formerly a senator from Arizona, this self-righteous vice president took over the Oval Office when his predecessor was assassinated in SPREE. He will do whatever it takes to see his vision of a Manifest Destiny (the USA controlling all of North, Central, and South America) become reality, justifying his actions with the belief that he doing God's work. Appears in HIT, NAUGHTY, SPREE, THREE.
CHARACTERS IN HYDRA DEUX
HEATH
Born in America, Heath grew up in the garbage dump of Tijuana, as Armando Castellano, after his mother was deported from Arizona. At age fifteen, after his mother's death, he walked across the border and tried to kill his father; the future President Ratzenburger. His attempt failed, but he was given a reprieve, forced into the military, and then trained as an assassin. Part brutal killer, part Casanova, Heath is easy to fall in love with but impossible to trust. He has a younger half-sister, Filena.
HYDRA DEUX DOSSIER: Codename: Heathcliff—Stats: Mexican American. Blk hair, brn eyes. One hundred seventy pounds. Five feet nine inches. Specialties: Long- and short-range weapons. Hand-to-hand combat, capoeira. Undercover ops. Seduction. Pilot. Computer hacking. Speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Farsi, Arabic, Italian. Weaknesses: Women. Obedience. Missing one eye (since HIT). Found in HIT, NAUGHTY, THREE. Nickname: Heath. Partner: Earnshaw.
CODENAME: ROCHESTER—Jamaican. Blk hair, brn eyes. Five feet nine inches. Two hundred pounds. Specialties: Hand-to-hand combat: 52 Blocks, judo, karate. Edged weapons. Short range weapons. Interrogation. Stamina. Weaknesses: Undercover ops. Antisocial personality disorder. Sadism. Impulse Control. Deceased in SPREE.
CODENAME: EARNSHAW—Stats: African American. Blk hair, brn eyes. Two hundred twenty pounds. Six feet one inch. Specialties: Hand-to-hand combat, wrestling, judo, grappling. Bench press 500 pounds. Stamina. Loyalty. Weaknesses: Undercover ops. Seduction. Long-range weapons. Steroid abuse. Deceased in THREE. Partner: Heathcliff.
CODENAME: SCARLETT—Stats: Caucasian. Blnd hair, gray eyes. One hundred twenty-five pounds. Five feet seven inches. Specialties: Undercover ops. Pilot. Vehicle and machinery expert. Interrogation. Speaks English, French, German, Russian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish. Computer hacking. Sniping. Edged weapons. Fourth dan black belt in karate. Weaknesses: Argumentative. Narcissistic personality disorder. Seduction. Strength and stamina. Grappling. Deceased in THREE. Partner: Rhett.
CODENAME: ISOLDE—Stats: Caucasian. Brn hair, brn eyes. Ninety pounds. Five feet six inches. Striped tattoos on arms. Specialties: Edged weapons. Interrogation. Poison. Long- and short-range firearms. Pilot. Weaknesses: Borderline personality disorder. Self-mutilation. Sadistic personality disorder. Strength and stamina. Found in THREE. Partner: Tristan. Nickname: Izzy.
CODENAME: RHETT—Stats: Caucasian. Blnd hair, blue eyes. One hundred eighty pounds. Five feet ten inches. Specialties: Undercover ops. Seduction. Explosives. Demolition. Short-range weapons. Vehicle and machinery expert. Hand-to-hand combat, tae kwon do, krav maga. Weaknesses: Attention deficit disorder. Lacks motivation. Partner: Scarlett. Deceased in THREE.
CODENAME: TRISTAN—Stats: Japanese American. Blk hair, brn eyes. Two hundred sixty pounds. Six feet one inch. Specialties: Hand-to-hand combat, judo, sumo, grappling. Bench press 540 pounds. Driving. Speaks English, Japanese, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Arabic. Weaknesses: Undercover ops. Steroid abuse. Temper. Partner: Isolde. Deceased in THREE.
OTHER CHARACTERS
JONATHAN KIRK
A mercenary with a history of doing wet work for Russian organized crime. Looks like Colin Farrell. Charming. Seductive. Deceased in EXPOSED.
JULIE
An innocent girl who was turned into a biological weapon by an Ebola researcher named Pembrooke. She was rescued by Chander in EXPOSED, and hidden on a remote island off the coast of Maine. In THREE, she is taken by Hydra Deux. Blond, slender, pretty. Deceased in THREE.
KIRK
A brown, mixed breed dog Chandler bought to keep Julie company on the remote Maine island. After his mistress's death, he is adopted by Hammett. (EXPOSED, THREE).
VICTOR CORMACK meets Chandler online and wants to date her. But instead of being an emergency medical technician, as he claims, he is working for the Russian mob. Deceased in FLEE.
CORY is a psychopath from Chandler's past. He has a penchant for girls who have just reached puberty, and enjoys cutting off the body parts of others, though not necessarily in that order. Deceased in FLEE.
MURRAY KAUFMANN works as a parole officer and is the only man Chandler trusts. After her arrest at age fourteen, Kaufmann helped her pull herself together and make something of her life. Deceased in FLEE.
BRADLEY MILTON
Bradley is a robotics expert who lives and works outside of Baltimore. Cute, sweet, and a virgin, he has an affair with Fleming in THREE that changes his life.
FILENA COSTELLANO
This dark-haired, brown-eyed Mexican beauty is the half-sister of Heath. Abandoned in Tijuana at the age of eleven, she has done what she must to survive, and refuses to take help from her brother. She works for the Sinaloa Cartel in Sonoyta, Mexico. She appears in THREE.
SUPPLEMENTARY CHARACTERS
These characters can only be used in conjunction with the characters above. They aren't meant to be main characters in the Codename: Chandler Kindle World, and can only be used in supporting roles. Think of them as cameos, not stars.
JACQUELINE "JACK" DANIELS, Chicago Violent Crimes Unit
Lt. Jack Daniels is a Chicago cop. is every bit as tough as her name; she didn't get to be one of the highest ranking cops in the Midwest by writing parking tickets. She solves the high profile cases, her dogged determination and keen eye for detail every bit as potent as the .38 under her blazer. She appears in FLEE, SPREE, and THREE, and is also part of the Jack Daniels and Associates Kindle World.
HARRY MCGLADE
Harry is a freelance private eye whose independent wealth and love of the Second Amendment led him to becoming a dealer in high tech surveillance equipment, exotic firearms, and various weaponry and explosive devices. He does this as a hobby rather than a job, and has worked with the Hydra sisters occasionally after Chandler's cover was blown. Cross Mike Hammer with Danny DeVito, and you have Harry. He's rude, funny, obnoxious, but has a good heart under his rough exterior. He appears in FLEE, SPREE, and THREE, and is also part of the Jack Daniels and Associates Kindle World.
TEQUILA ABERNATHY
Tequila was once an Olympic gymnast before he became an enforcer for the Chicago mob. Now semiretired, he only does favors for friends and those who can pay his rates. Tequila is a specialist in hand-to-hand combat and weapons. He's a sociopath, morally ambiguous, and will break the law and even hurt the innocent if it suits his goals, but he usually winds up on the side of the good guys. He is hired by Chandler in SPREE and THREE. Like Jack and Harry, Tequila is also part of the Jack Daniels and Associates Kindle World.
SANTIAGO
This psychopathic sadist whose specialty is interrogation works for Hammett in SPREE. He dies in Jack Kilborn's AFRAID. He is also part of the Jack Daniels and Associates Kindle World.
VALERIE RYKER
After starting her career in the Chicago PD, Val became the first female police chief of a small Wisconsin town called Lake Loyal at the young age of forty. A blond haired, blue eyed beauty, she's tough as the Wisconsin winters. She has to be. Since her sister's death, Val raised her niece, and recently Val has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She appears in SPREE, and is the protagonist in Ann Voss Peterson's Val Ryker thriller series.
DAVID LUND
Lund is the assistant fire chief of the Baraboo Fire District in Wisconsin. Dedicated to saving others, Lund can't resist Chandler when he discovers she needs help. But once he sees her kill without hesitation or guilt, he realizes she's not the woman he hoped she'd be. Over six feet tall, Lund has dark hair, dark eyes, and the need to be a hero. Lund appears in SPREE and in Ann Voss Peterson's Val Ryker series.
DALE KASDORF
Kasdorf is a reclusive survivalist, gun collector, and conspiracy theorist blogger who lives in an underground bunker on an old farm outside Lake Loyal, Wisconsin. He sold weapons to Chandler in SPREE. He is part of Ann Voss Peterson's Val Ryker series.
UNSUITABLE CHARACTERS
Konrath and Peterson have collaborated with many other authors, and those authors own characters that appear in Konrath's books. Here are a few examples of characters that should never appear in a Codename: Chandler Kindle Worlds title, as they aren't the intellectual property of Konrath or Peterson:
Javier Estrada (from SPREE)
Isaiah Brown (from SPREE)
If in doubt about using a character, contact Joe at joekonrath@comcast.net, and ask if it is allowed.