meet the lake lands characters
Dr. Nora Perkins
Head of Cell & Genetic Therapy Programs - Quantum Genetics
Nora is a highly accomplished molecular scientist and co-founder of Quantum Genetics, a San Francisco–based biotechnology laboratory at the forefront of developing CRISPR cell therapies aimed at curing devastating genetic diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia.
Despite her brilliance, Nora is a natural introvert with peculiar habits, shaped in part by her diagnosis of ADHD during high school. Her focused determination, paired with a restless, unconventional mind, sets her apart in the competitive world of biotech research.
She holds a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the University of Sassari in Italy.
“As long as my heart rate is under 100, I’m happy.”
Charles Wilbur Kline
Nora’s Grandfather
Charles Kline, inmate number C965007 at San Quentin Penitentiary, is California’s oldest death row prisoner at ninety-three. His story begins in 1987 with a tragic car accident that killed his daughter and left his young niece, Nora, severely injured. In the aftermath, Kline vanished without a trace.
Over the decades, federal authorities pursued him across the country, probing possible ties to the infamous April Fool’s Bank Heist in Boston and whispering rumors of his role in the elusive crime syndicate known only as The Velvet Cartel.
Charles Kline was sentenced to death in 1992 for the murders of two New York State Troopers.
“Some truths are worth dying for.”
Neil Cumberland
Attorney at Law
Born Usman Qamar, Neil arrived in this world in Lahore, Pakistan, during a time of political unrest. He was adopted at the age of three by a progressive, upper-middle-class couple from Northern California. They dressed him in corduroys and taught him to read before kindergarten.
Four decades later, Neil is a man in his forties, with a face most mistake for––Raffaele Bertolucci, the Italian screen idol.
After passing the California bar, Neil briefly worked for the Alameda County Public Defender’s. That’s where he was assigned the case of Charles Kline, a convicted felon who was sentenced to death for the murder of two New York state troopers. Kline’s previous attorney had suddenly fell ill and died. To this day, Neil wonders if his client had anything to do with it.
“Kids in school used to call me the Dark Horse. Did they refer to my dark skin or mysterious personality? Read the book and you’ll find out.”
Rose Grealish
Owner of the Shepard's Inn, Norville, NY
Rose is the proud owner of the Shepard’s Inn and the adjacent Bar & Grill, located in the town of Norville, NY. She claims that her parents assigned their debts to her the day she was born. Rose started working three part time jobs at the tender age of nine. She left home when she was fourteen, after torching the family’s trailer, severely wounding her father and nearly killing their Dachshund.
Rose never married, even though she claims there is one who got away. She has no children, but says hunting is better than all of that family stuff. “The animals I kill don’t talk back or ask for money.”
When Rose turns on her hotel manager personality, she speaks with a soft voice and charms the pants off her guests.
“Hunting is my favorite hobby. I love taking my friends. Unless they cross me, then they become the hunted.”
Carlos Cabrales
Real Estate Agent and Ex Cuban Airforce Pilot
No one knows if it’s true, but Carlos claims that he fled Cuba for the US after he hijacked a Soviet-built MiG trainer aircraft and fled to the Florida Keys under cover of darkness. Carlos had gathered his two best friends and loaded the fighter jet with premium rum, high-end cigars and the finest narcotics he could find; enough to get them through the first months in the United States. He currently lives in Norville, NY and owns and operates a real estate business.
“I wanted to become a pilot so I could be closer to my heavenly mother. God bless her soul.”
Special Agent Ethan Harper
FBI Field Agent - Cold Case Unit
Ethan Harpers’ father parished in a suicide attack during the first Gulf War in 1991. Following his father’s footsteps into defending the constitution and protecting the United States, he became one of youngest FBI recruit and graduated Quantico Academy with a 98% passing grade.
“The less I talk, the more I find out about you.”