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Atticus Kodiak is the fictional protagonist of a series of novels written by
Greg Rucka Gregory Rucka (born November 29, 1969) is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series '' Whiteout'', ''Queen & Country'', '' Stumptown'' and '' Lazarus'', as well a ...
. The series concerns Atticus's career as a professional
bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
.


Novels featuring Atticus Kodiak


''Keeper''

First in the series (1996). Atticus is hired to protect a woman who will speak at an
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
conference.


''Finder''

Second in the series (1997). Atticus tries to protect the runaway daughter of his former commanding officer.


''Smoker''

Third in the series (1998). Atticus gets a chance to rehabilitate his reputation as a bodyguard when he is hired to protect a witness in a high-profile
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
.


''Shooting At Midnight''

Fourth in the series (1999). Atticus merely guest-stars as Rucka turns most of the narration duties over to Bridgett Logan, Atticus's ex-girlfriend. Bridgett must deal with the demons of her past when a close friend asks Bridgett to help her murder someone.


''Critical Space''

Fifth in the series (2001). While guarding a British Royal, Atticus is offered a job by the expert
assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...
known only as "Drama".


''Patriot Acts''

Sixth in the series (2007), the story involves the aftermath of the climax of ''Critical Space'' and follows Atticus and Drama over the next three years as they seek revenge for several attempts on their lives.


''Walking Dead''

Seventh entry in the series (2009). While living in hiding with Alena ("Drama" in earlier titles), Atticus witnesses the murder of a neighbor family and kidnapping of their daughter. In effort to find the missing girl, Atticus must infiltrate the seedy world of international human trafficking.


Major characters


Atticus Kodiak

Born in San Francisco, Atticus was well-trained as a bodyguard in the Army's Executive Protection program, and he now relies on that training in his career as a personal security consultant (or
bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
) in New York City. The series follows Atticus as he attempts to establish himself professionally and stabilize his often rocky personal life. This is difficult, however, since his profession and personal relationships are often intertwined.


Bridgett Logan

Atticus' most complicated romantic relationship is with Bridgett Logan, a private investigator. Bridie's tough exterior hides her emotional vulnerability and dangerous past. She is a devotee of
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s,
Life Savers Life Savers (stylized as LifeSavers) is an American brand of ring-shaped hard and soft candy. Its range of mints and fruit-flavored candies is known for its distinctive packaging, coming in paper-wrapped aluminum foil rolls. Candy manufacturer C ...
, and
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, and she takes center stage in the novel ''Shooting At Midnight'', which reveals Bridie's past as a
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
addict. When Bridgett feels obligated to help out a friend accused of murder, she finds that old habits are the hardest to break.


Natalie Trent

Natalie is a professional bodyguard specializing in
sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
and counter-sniper work. Thanks to her father, Elliot Trent, she is very well-off, although she does not get along with him. Atticus acknowledges that she is the best bodyguard in the group, even better than himself.


Elliot Trent

The owner of Sentinel, a large
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
-based security firm. He is Natalie's father.


Erika Wyatt

Erika is the teenage daughter of Atticus' former commanding officer from his days in the
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
. Atticus becomes her legal guardian, and she lives with him for several years before moving out to attend
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
(NYU). Atticus regards her as a sister, and his only family.


Robert Moore

Moore first appears as an operative of the SAS, but later leaves the service to become the personal bodyguard of a minor British Royal. He develops a close friendship with Atticus.


Scott Fowler

When Atticus requires contact with
Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
authorities, he tends to contact Special Agent Scott Fowler, who Atticus's old friend used to call "Special Agent Dude."


"Drama"

"Drama" is the code-name for a highly talented female assassin who comes to respect Atticus' skills, character, and determination.


Other stories set in the world of Atticus Kodiak

There are no other stories overtly connected to the Kodiak series, other than the seven official novels. However, there are multiple stories that take place in the same fictional world by virtue of minor shared characters.


''A Fistful of Rain''

''A Fistful of Rain'' (2003) stars Miriam "Mim" Bracca, a rock star with a troubled past, who returns home from a tour to have her life derailed by a stalking voyeur and a murder. Rucka has revealed "there's a very oblique link between ''Critical Space'' and ''Fistful'' - so oblique, in fact, just about everyone in the world missed it, I think. So the Kodiak universe is, in fact, the same universe as Mim Bracca's."


"Contact and Cover"

"Contact and Cover" (2008) is a short story starring Tracy Hoffman, one of the detectives from ''A Fistful of Rain''. It was published in the
Michael Connelly Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Connelly is the bes ...
edited collection, ''The Blue Religion''.


''Stumptown''

'' Stumptown'' is a modern day
Detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...
comic book that follows the cases of Dex Parios, a P.I. in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. The second storyline of the series has Dex working a case for Mim Bracca, the star of ''A Fistful of Rain'', thereby establishing its setting as that of the world of Atticus Kodiak.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kodiak, Atticus Book series introduced in 1996 Kodiak, Atticus Characters in American novels of the 21st century Literary characters introduced in 1996 Fictional bodyguards Male characters in literature Fictional characters from San Francisco