File No. 113 · Character

Fanferlot

A police detective who works from a boarding-house closet and a false beard, forever one step behind the truth he is paid to find.

major

Also known as M. Fanferlot, Master Fanferlot, poor Fanferlot, Fanferlot the Squirrel, Dubois

First appearance: i

As a major figure in File No. 113, Fanferlot is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The detective who secretly theorizes that Fauvel staged the robbery; he notes a scratch on the safe and later orchestrates Nina Gypsy's move to the Archangel.

In the storyIIIOpen this moment free

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Fanferlot the Squirrel, as his colleagues call him, lodges at the Archangel and turns its corridors into a surveillance post, hiding in cupboards and darting into the street in linen blouses and false whiskers. Vain, excitable, and touchy about his professional dignity, he is outraged when a messenger slips past his watch and a weeping Mme. Gypsy keeps a rendezvous he meant to control. His dogged, bumbling pursuit of the bank thief keeps the investigation moving even as his vanity keeps him from seeing what the reader can.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Fanferlot sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Fanferlot in i

Character Web

26 connections

A slice of how Fanferlot sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Main Investigation Cast
Military & Old Friends

+21 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because Valentine’s psychological state peaks in a crisis of mortal dread and help…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Nina Gypsy
professional · ambivalent
Fanferlot, a detective, uses Nina Gypsy as an informant and occasional accomplice in his… How this plays out →
Prosper Bertomy
professional · ambivalent
Nina Gypsy
professional · ambivalent
Fanferlot, a detective, uses Nina Gypsy as an informant and occasional accomplice in his… How this plays out →
Prosper Bertomy
professional · ambivalent
Nina Gypsy
professional · ambivalent
Fanferlot, a detective, uses Nina Gypsy as an informant and occasional accomplice in his… How this plays out →
Prosper Bertomy
professional · ambivalent

Nina Gypsy
Fanferlot, a detective, uses Nina Gypsy as an informant and occasional accomplice in his investigations.
Prosper Bertomy
Fanferlot initially suspects Prosper but later works to help clear his name as part of the investigation.
Nina Gypsy
Fanferlot, a detective, uses Nina Gypsy as an informant and occasional accomplice in his investigations.
Prosper Bertomy
Fanferlot initially suspects Prosper but later works to help clear his name as part of the investigation.
Nina Gypsy
Fanferlot, a detective, uses Nina Gypsy as an informant and occasional accomplice in his investigations.
Prosper Bertomy
Fanferlot initially suspects Prosper but later works to help clear his name as part of the investigation.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Fanferlot in i

In the story

Fanferlot appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III
The detective who secretly theorizes that Fauvel staged the robbery; he notes a scratch on the safe and later orchestrates Nina Gypsy's move to the Archangel.
Chapter IV
Reports to the judge on his investigation, concealing information about Madeleine while providing details on Prosper and Nina Gypsy.
Chapter VI
Intercepts Nina's letter and receives detailed instructions from M. Lecoq to infiltrate Clameran's household as a valet.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Fanferlot unlock in the free preview.

See Fanferlot in i

See Fanferlot in III