The Trail of the Serpent · Character
Jim Lomax
A labourer of Blind Peter, loved fiercely by the girl called Sillikens, whose wasted face and strange likeness to Jabez North set the plot's deepest wheels turning.
supporting
Also known as Jim, Jim deary, Jim the labourer
First appearance: IV: Jim Looks Over the Brink of the Terrible Gulf
As a supporting figure in The Trail of the Serpent, Jim Lomax is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Returns home ill and destitute; diagnosed with rheumatic fever and likely to die.
Jim Lomax is a bundle of aching bones carried into Blind Peter with rheumatic fever, tended by a girl who loves him past all reason, and given up for dead by the doctor within three days. What makes him matter is not his poverty but his face: the old doctor swears he and Jabez North could be twins, and Jabez walks home from that remark in thoughtful silence, buying hair-dye the next morning. Jim is the novel's most pitiable figure and, quietly, its most dangerous coincidence.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
18 connectionsA slice of how Jim Lomax sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Rivalry
- Other
Character groups
- Investigation and Witnesses
- Supporting Cast and Subplots
- French Mystery Entanglement
- Slopperton Crime Circle
+13 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This chapter marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Valerie’s s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Jabez North
rivalry · negative
Jabez North and Jim Lomax are antagonists, locked in a bitter conflict with each other. How this plays out →
- Jabez North
rivalry · negative
Jabez North and Jim Lomax are antagonists, locked in a bitter conflict with each other. How this plays out →
- Jabez North
rivalry · negative
Jabez North and Jim Lomax are antagonists, locked in a bitter conflict with each other. How this plays out →
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Jim Lomax in IV: Jim Looks Over the Brink of the Terrible GulfIn the story
Jim Lomax appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Jim Lomax unlock in the free preview.
See Jim Lomax in IV: Jim Looks Over the Brink of the Terrible Gulf