Red Harvest · Character

Noonan

Personville's fat, jovial police chief, who shakes your hand, lights your cigar, and runs the town's rackets like a private business.

supporting

Also known as fat Noonan, that fat Noonan, Tim, Tim Noonan, Presently Noonan, Noonan hisself

First appearance: ii the czar of poisonville

As a supporting figure in Red Harvest, Noonan is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The fat, jovial chief of police who collaborates with the narrator.

In the storyIII: Dinah BrandOpen this moment free

See Noonan in III: Dinah Brand Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Noonan commands the police force as a personal racket, trading favors with bootleggers and gambling bosses while keeping his greenish eyes twinkling and his manner amiably corrupt. He is a man who can order a building shot up and then cheerfully ask a stranger to walk across the street and talk the target out, because he hates to start a fight without giving a friend a chance. His running feud with Whisper Thaler and his shifting alliances with the other Personville powers make him the pivot on which the town's violence turns.

Continue beside the text

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

See Noonan in ii the czar of poisonville

Character Web

14 connections

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

Relationship types

Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Underworld enforcers and rivals
Minor figures and associates
Protagonist
Lawyer and respectable woman

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this scene, the emotional peak occurs when Dinah Brand, in a fury, physically attacks the Continental Op af…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

The Narrator
rivalry · negative
Noonan, the corrupt police chief, and the Narrator are locked in a deadly game of cat and… How this plays out →
Reno Starkey
rivalry · negative
Pete the Finn
rivalry · negative
The Narrator
rivalry · negative
Noonan, the corrupt police chief, and the Narrator are locked in a deadly game of cat and… How this plays out →
The Narrator
rivalry · negative
Noonan, the corrupt police chief, and the Narrator are locked in a deadly game of cat and… How this plays out →
Reno Starkey
rivalry · negative
Reno Starkey
rivalry · negative
Pete the Finn
rivalry · negative

The Narrator
Noonan, the corrupt police chief, and the Narrator are locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse, each trying to outmaneuver the other in the violent power struggle of Personville.
Reno Starkey
Noonan and Reno Starkey are rival power brokers in the city's criminal hierarchy, each vying for control and often working at cross-purposes.
Pete the Finn
Noonan and Pete the Finn are bitter enemies, representing the conflict between the official police force and the powerful bootlegging empire.
The Narrator
Noonan, the corrupt police chief, and the Narrator are locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse, each trying to outmaneuver the other in the violent power struggle of Personville.
The Narrator
Noonan, the corrupt police chief, and the Narrator are locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse, each trying to outmaneuver the other in the violent power struggle of Personville.
Reno Starkey
Noonan and Reno Starkey are rival power brokers in the city's criminal hierarchy, each vying for control and often working at cross-purposes.
Reno Starkey
Noonan and Reno Starkey are rival power brokers in the city's criminal hierarchy, each vying for control and often working at cross-purposes.
Pete the Finn
Noonan and Pete the Finn are bitter enemies, representing the conflict between the official police force and the powerful bootlegging empire.

Relationship notes

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

See Noonan in ii the czar of poisonville

In the story

Noonan appears across 13 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III: Dinah Brand
The fat, jovial chief of police who collaborates with the narrator. He reveals Dinah Brand is Whisper Thaler's woman and interviews Mrs. Willsson about the murder.
IV: Hurricane Street
The police chief; he is trying to frame Dinah and Thaler for the murder, according to the narrator.
V: Old Elihu Talks Sense
Police chief who arrives at the scene; announces plans to pick up Whisper Thaler and invites the narrator along.
VI: Whisper's Joint
Leads the siege on Whisper's joint, appears cheerful and manipulative, uses the narrator to negotiate.
VIII: A Tip on Kid Cooper
Calls after the shooting, offering police protection and feigning concern.
XII: A New Deal
Beats MacSwain, orders him jailed, and begins a 'new deal' by turning against Whisper after learning Tim Noonan's killer.
XIII: —$200.10—
Noonan is contacted by the narrator to report Thaler's capture and expresses eagerness to arrive.
XIV: Max
Triumphant over Whisper's capture but enraged by the jailbreak; beats MacSwain.
XV: Cedar Hill Inn
Leads the raid on Cedar Hill Inn, eager to capture Whisper Thaler.
XVI: Exit Jerry
Leads the investigation of the bank robbery, questions the watchman, and is pleased with the outcome.
XVIII: Painter Street
Appears shaken and weary from the killings; informs the narrator of Lew Yard's murder and agrees to a peace meeting at Willsson's.
XIX: The Peace Conference
Forced to confess to killing Tim Noonan and burning Pete the Finn's warehouse; appears broken and desperate.
XX: Laudanum
Reported killed by Whisper Thaler after the peace conference.

Chapter companion notes

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

See Noonan in ii the czar of poisonville

See Noonan in III: Dinah Brand