# Chief Inspector Parker — Strong Poison character guide

> Chief Inspector Parker in Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Bleeding Chief Inspector Parker, Parker, Mr. Parker, old Parker, Charles, Charles Parker, Chief Detective Inspector Parker

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

A Scotland Yard detective whose steady professionalism and old friendship with Lord Peter Wimsey put him at the uneasy intersection of duty, loyalty, and a duke's disapproval.

## Who they are

Parker is the policeman who made a mistake at the start of the Boyes case, a fact that haunts his standing with Wimsey's family even as his competence earns quiet praise. He is also the man courting Lady Mary, which sets him against the Duke of Denver's conviction that Mary cannot marry a policeman. His position forces him to work the murder from the official side while Wimsey works it from the outside, and the friction between procedure and friendship shapes the investigation's early course.

## Relationships

### [Lord Peter Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/characters/lord_peter_wimsey)

_friendship_

Parker and Peter are close friends and professional allies, collaborating on the investigation with mutual respect.

### [Lord Peter Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/characters/lord_peter_wimsey)

_friendship_

Parker and Peter are close friends and professional allies, collaborating on the investigation with mutual respect.

### [Lord Peter Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/characters/lord_peter_wimsey)

_friendship_

Parker and Peter are close friends and professional allies, collaborating on the investigation with mutual respect.

## In the story

### [The Hung Jury](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/iii)

Expresses doubt after Wimsey insists Harriet is innocent.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/v)

Meets with Wimsey at Scotland Yard; agrees to investigate Boyes' possible suicide and search for arsenic-related evidence.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/x)

Arranges the interview with Mrs. Bulfinch and manages the questioning.

### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/xv)

Is confronted by Wimsey about his relationship with Lady Mary; reveals he has a report for Wimsey.

### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/xvi)

His imbecile happiness with Lady Mary annoys Wimsey.

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/xix)

Lord Peter asks Bunter to summon him for a word.

### [The Arsenic Test](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/xx)

Summarizes the case against Urquhart, acknowledges the arsenic evidence, but insists on proving opportunity for a jury.

### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/xxi)

Helped Wimsey discover the manicurist.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/xxii)

Assists in the arrest of Urquhart, handcuffing him after a scuffle.

### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/chapters/xxiii)

Referenced as the policeman Mary wishes to marry; Wimsey defends him as 'one of the best.'

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/characters/chief_inspector_parker
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/strong_poison_se/characters