# Mr. Jinks — The Trail of the Serpent character guide

> Mr. Jinks in The Trail of the Serpent by M. E. Braddon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Jinks, the affectionate Mr. Jinks

**First appearance:** 0001-i-the-good-schoolmaster

## Snapshot

A snub-nosed, hat-rubbing officer of the law with a connoisseur's eye for a good performance, he arrests Richard Marwood with almost theatrical relish.

## Who they are

Jinks is the man who claps the handcuffs on Daredevil Dick at the railway station, and he does it with the fussy self-importance of a small official who has finally been handed something worth doing. He is not cruel so much as vain — he admires Richard's innocent astonishment the way a theatergoer admires a fine actor, and he cannot resist a joke about bijouterie. His mixture of officiousness and grudging admiration makes him a memorable face in the machinery of the murder case, and a small, sharp portrait of how justice looks when it is administered by men who enjoy their work.

## In the story

### [IV: Richard Marwood Lights His Pipe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_trail_of_the_serpent_se/chapters/iv-richard-marwood-lights-his-pipe)

Arrests Richard in Gardenford, using handcuffs, and escorts him back to Slopperton for the inquest.

### [VI: Two Coroner’s Inquests](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_trail_of_the_serpent_se/chapters/vi-two-coroner-s-inquests)

The detective on the platform at Gardenford station, ready to recognize Richard.

### [IX: “Mad, Gentlemen of the Jury”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_trail_of_the_serpent_se/chapters/ix-mad-gentlemen-of-the-jury)

Detective officer, gives a discursive account of Richard's arrest.

### [Mr. Peters Relates How He Thought He Had a Clue, and How He Lost It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_trail_of_the_serpent_se/chapters/vi-mr-peters-relates-how-he-thought-he-had-a-clue-and-how-he-lost-it)

Mentioned as Peters' superior during the arrest.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_trail_of_the_serpent_se/characters/jinks
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_trail_of_the_serpent_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_trail_of_the_serpent_se/characters