# Mr. James Tovey — The Murders in Praed Street character guide

> Mr. James Tovey in The Murders in Praed Street by John Rhode.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Tovey, James Tovey, Tovey, Jim, Jim Tovey, poor Jim

**First appearance:** 0001-i-the-street

## Snapshot

A steady, jury-seasoned Londoner whose ordinary evening at home becomes the first link in a chain of Praed Street killings that terrify his neighbors.

## Who they are

Tovey is a working-class family man, fond of his Sunday paper and his fireside chair, whose murder sets the whole neighborhood on edge and gives Inspector Whyland his first impossible problem. His wife and daughter Ivy are left to navigate the aftermath while the police grope for a pattern. His death matters because it establishes the method and the fear that drive the early investigation.

## In the story

### [Part I: The Crimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/part-i-the-crimes)

Murdered, setting off the chain of events.

### [The Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/i-the-street)

The protagonist of the chapter, a greengrocer who values his Sunday comfort, is tricked by a hoax phone call and later collapses on the street.

### [II: The Herbalist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/ii-the-herbalist)

The murdered man, referred to in the conversation as 'poor old Jim.' He had received a threatening letter and was lured out by a fake phone call.

### [IV: The Poisoned Pipe-Stem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/iv-the-poisoned-pipe-stem)

Mentioned as having received a counter marked 'I' before his murder, linking the two deaths.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/characters/mr_james_tovey
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/characters