Who is Mark Ingleford?

Mark Ingleford...the character I created, who has totally won me over...whom I think it my best character...the one I love to write about the most. In a way, I am in love with him! But just who is he? Well, for me, all I have to do is say, "He's Mark!" but obviously that's not going to mean anything to you all. So let me introduce you, in-depth, to Mr. Mark Ingleford:


Mark Joseph Ingleford was born on May 23rd, 1914. His parents, Joseph and Mildred Ingleford, were originally from England, moving to the states a few years prior to Mark's birth. They had become American citizens before he was born, and thus he was born an American with a British name and heritage.

For the first few years of his life, Mark was raised in a small town just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He and his parents moved into Boston when he was quite young, so he grew up knowing Boston as "home". He was raised in a Christian home as an only child. His own, personal beliefs grew stronger each day and his goal became to serve God in anyway that he could.

School was a breeze for him, and he graduated high school at the young age of fifteen. Interested in helping others and in wanting to help rid the word of as much evil as he could, Mark entered the police force at the age of seventeen. Starting at the bottom, he quickly made his way towards the top. He was bright, willing to learn, clever, and wise, which made him a favorite with everyone on the force.

Just after he turned eighteen, both his parents were killed in an accident. From then on, he was on his own, working even harder to rise in the police force. He had the honor to become detective sergeant at the age of twenty-two, serving under Detective Chief Reynolds, the man who had influenced him the most in the force. It was just two years later that Detective Chief Reynolds was forced to retire, which led to Mark's own promotion to detective chief at the age of twenty-four.

It was on his first case as detective chief in 1938 (aka "Pearls in Her Hair: A Mark & Karrie Mystery Book #1"), that Mark's path collided with Miss Karina (Karrie) Angelson's, as she was hired as his crime photographer. They were paired together, along with Detective Sergeant William Holbrook to solve a murder set in the countryside. During the case, Mark was wrongfully accused of accepting bribes and giving false testimony in court. When his name was cleared, Mark was faced with a difficult decision...eventually, he decided to leave the force and help build an agency for troubled men and boys of all ages.

Forced to spend so much time with his young crime photographer, Mark was also forced to get to know her more. Karina encouraged him, assisted him, and stood up for him when no one else could. It was inevitable *wink*...he fell for her. After his decision to leave the force, Mark proposed and Karina accepted. They were married the following year, in 1939.

However, mysteries seem to follow Mark and his wife, Karrie, wherever they go. It was Karrie's birthday when they discovered that Karrie's father suddenly went missing. ("Death Because of Amber: A Mark & Karrie Mystery Book #2) Concerned, Mark and Karrie went to the New York offices of the packaging company that Mr. Angelson worked at. Following the clues left in the offices, as well as ones from a strange telephone call, Mark and Karrie headed to England, where war was already declared on Germany, in 1941. Their investigation brought them to a young, British woman, who escaped murder only to suddenly go missing as well. Mark and Karrie were separated by their investigation, Mark sent into France, and Karrie into the countryside, each following a lead. They were faced with not only murder, kidnapping, and robbery, but espionage, the French Resistance...and on top of it all, there was a traitor in their midst. Even in spite of solving another case, there was tragedy as well as joy...a bittersweet way to return to the States.


Mark was 29 in early spring of 1942...America was at war after the attack on Pearl Harbor the December before. The agency Mark was working for was closing down, and Karrie was very pregnant. While smoothing over an attempted robbery at a nearby theater, Mark was approached by a representative of the U.S.O. (United Service Organization), who hired him as a private detective to solve the mystery behind wounded soldiers who were being drugged, items that were going missing, and especially the disappearance of a young woman. ("In Blackest Night: A Mark & Karrie Mystery Book #3) The case was slow-going at first, and Mark and Karrie were distracted by the birth of their son. It was afterward that Mark got his first real lead and headed into the countryside again to search for the missing woman. Soon, his wife and child were involved and the case crashed into another case involving his friend Mags, Karrie's cousin Reggie, sabotage within the U.S. navy, valuable paintings, and German spies. It was after solving the case that Mark felt led to open his own private detective agency.

In the summer of 1943, by the orders of Karrie's doctor, Mark and Karrie went on holiday by train, where Mark was confronted by yet another mystery. ("Switched: A Mark & Karrie Mystery Book #4") A young woman entered their life when she was being chased by strange men. The case became more complicated when a murder occurred on the train and the young woman was implicated. When the police inspector in charge of the case was injured in a train accident, Mark stepped into his shoes and took charge until more help could arrive. The case led from there to one of not only murder but more espionage and some sort of link to Italy. Everything Mark thought true was switched around, and it became a matter of his wife's life when everything became clear.


Mark: a man of quiet strengths, immense wisdom, and a great willingness to serve and help others. He is capable of viewing things through different eyes, able to separate the good from the bad, and the knowledge needed to unravel each puzzle that comes his way. He is far from perfect, however. He struggles with impatience and controlling his annoyance with others. He likes to be control, and can forget sometimes that everything is in God's hands and not his own. He is over-confidant at times, and yet, he practically always remains calm. He is cool, collected, and level-headed. He loves God with all his heart, and yet he knows that there is always so much for him to learn. He loves his wife dearly and puts up with her silly, wacky nature with a great sense of humor.

Random facts about Mark Ingleford:
Handsome, but not too handsome.
Is a great dancer.
Plays piano.
Loves putting together puzzles.
Can speak three other languages (French, German, and Russian).
Loves Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller...
Loves going to the movies.
His best friend is William Holbrook.

Okay. Enough about Mark. But...c'mon, doesn't he sound great?