The World of Amanda Northstar
Independence, a small town and county on the banks of the Hudson River, is a typical, all-American community with a proud history dating back to Colonial times. But just like anywhere else it cannot escape the darker side of human nature. Murder, violence, corruption; these and other crimes are not the exception in Independence. But Sheriff Amanda Northstar is determined that they don't become the rule.
Sheriff Amanda Northstar
A single mother in her mid-forties, Amanda joined the US Army straight out of high school and served as a medic during Desert Storm when her helicopter rescue unit was shot down behind enemy lines. Despite physical and emotional scarring, she survived and saw out a decade of service before returning to her hometown of Independence. She became engaged to the high school football coach after falling pregnant and looked forward to a quiet family life. However, when her fiancé died suddenly from a brain aneurysm, she was left heavily pregnant and alone with only her widowed mother to help. With few options, she joined the sheriff's department as a deputy following the encouragement of Sheriff Glenn Shepard. He spotted her intelligence and talent and nurtured it so that she was his recommended choice to replace him upon retirement. Now sheriff of Independence and the small surrounding county in her own right, Amanda retains the dedicated, resourceful and no-nonsense attitude that got her through the military, an early widowhood-even-before-marriage, and seventeen years as a single mother. The triumphs and tragedies of her life have taught Amanda patience and resilience. She is slow to anger, takes time to consider situations, but is equally capable of quick decision-making and firm leadership. Amanda recognises that nothing in life is black and white and that all people are complicated, but she also has a solid code of what constitutes right and wrong, and is unwilling to compromise her integrity.
Deputy Jake Murrow
A high school football star, Jake opted to join the Marine Corps rather than attend college in order to see the world and to escape the heartache of the unrealised love between he and Casey. After serving several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jake returned home with lifelong friends, but just as many demons weighting his spirit down. After seeing him drift aimlessly, Amanda recognised a fellow veteran in need of structure and purpose, and so deputised Jake into her team where he is a constant source of loyalty and support. Possessing an easygoing charm that helps hide an inherent sadness and struggle with PTSD, Jake is cool and calm in manner, keenly aware that his skills could make him dangerous if unleashed without restraint. Like his mentor, Amanda, Jake places a high value on honour and integrity, even above his own happiness, which means that while he still secretly pines for Casey, he refuses to actively pursue a married woman and chooses to suffer in silence.
Deputy Casey Norris
Casey and Jake have been friends since their youth when he was a football running back and she was head cheerleader. As was customary, if cliched, she dated the lead quarterback, Rick Norris, and despite Casey and Jake clearly having more in common and an obvious chemistry, she never fully cottoned on to his affections, or if she did, like him tried to bury them. Following graduation, as Jake left for the Marines, Casey followed Rick to college and pursued a degree in criminology. Following his dropping out after losing his football scholarship, Casey abandoned her own studies and dutifully returned to Independence to start life as a married woman. After a few years working in the Independence town library, Casey was introduced to the newly-elected Sheriff Northstar, who quickly spotted an under-utilised mind. Casey joined the sheriff’s department as a deputy and now finds solace in her police work. Her analytical mind and deductive abilities are impressive, though ever since high school it has quietly frustrated Casey that she has never been taken as seriously as she should be given her beauty. As a result, her confidence has occasionally suffered, though it has recovered as she has bloomed next to Amanda and Jake, even if in her personal life there is always the nagging suspicion that she could have done much better.
Max Northstar
Amanda's teenage son, Max keeps his head down as a good student and new member of the high school football team, the Independence Rebels. He enjoys a close relationship with his mother, the two having had to overcome adversity following his father's death. As a result of that tragedy Max often feels he had to mature faster than others and take on an almost surrogate husband role as the only man of the house. Levity is provided by his fun and caring grandmother, Maggie, who has been a second mother to him. Unknown to Amanda are Max’s plans to apply to the United States Military Academy at West Point, a decision that would seem ill at ease his gentle and easy-going nature. However, it appeals to Max, who is more robust than he is given credit for, always wanting to push himself beyond his comfort zone, and to never feel that he has left any of life’s stones unturned.
Glenn Shepard
The retired sheriff of Independence, Glenn now owns a popular bar and grill and spends his free time hunting and fishing like the keen outdoorsman he his. With several decades of experience behind him, he remains sharp as ever and always provides an ear for his protege Amanda when she needs advice. They enjoy a surrogate father-surrogate daughter relationship, and while he is usually tender and laid back, Glenn can also be gruff and no-nonsense when the situation requires it.
Carter Townsend
The patriarch of the rich, influential Townsend clan, Carter is a councilman with an eye on the mayoralty, as well as a successful business leader with fingers in many pies, not all of them strictly legal. He is committed to advancing the status of himself and his family, and though he realises that his own horizons are probably limited to the mayor's office and perhaps a role in Albany thereafter, his ambitions for his son, Carter Junior, are nothing less than Washington and even the White House. Carter isn't an evil man, but his morality is as flexible as a situation requires it to be. He recognises the value of power, of acquiring it, holding it, and ultimately its ruthless application in order to achieve his goals.