This is an insightful piece on the character of John Steel written by author, Stuart Field, who has been kind enough to write this for my blog.
“An insight into John Steel. Here are a few things about the character
This is for those who have read about John Steel before or have never heard of him until now.
John Steel is the son of a British Earl, who was also the owner of one of Britain’s largest production firms. After the murder of his entire family by the hands of mercenaries, John Steel finds himself with the title and the business. He has no interest in either but sees the benefits of the title and the company in his job within the British Secret service.
John Steel joined the Army within the lower ranks because he didn’t want to be an officer. He wanted to join as one of the lads. After a short spell with the commando combat engineers, he was recruited by the SAS, where he rose to the rank of sergeant. After been fatally wounded at the family home during the mercenary raid, Steel was nursed back to health and was sent into hiding at the family cabin in Alaska.
He is 36 years old, six-foot-two and finds his love for acrobatics and martial arts comes in a helpful combination. He has emerald, green eyes, but these are dark and cold. Some class them as soulless. This was caused by the life-saving operation he had undergone after the shooting. He has a high pain tolerance and does not bruise easily. Steel is sensitive to bright light and some loud noises. He also dislikes heights but always pushes himself to switch off the fear in a time of crisis.
There are five books in the John Steel series. The fifth novel is what I class as the breakaway novel. I call it a breakaway novel because Steel is no longer with the NYPD. Steel is doing what he was meant to do and working with MI8 and travelling the world. Steel was never meant to be stuck in a team, but I continued because people loved the other characters. However, I think the detectives at the 11th precinct are established enough to do a spin-off series.
John Steel comes across as arrogant, but his trust issues sometimes get in the way of his ‘playing well with others.’ He likes to think outside the box and question what he sees. He is tenacious to a fault. And as well as intimacy issues after losing his wife. He bottles everything up and feels making friends can be a curse because they can be used against you or indeed turn against you. He is also loyal to those he feels deserve it, even to the point of putting his own life in danger to save them. He feels compelled to help people, especially lost causes.
I love the John Steel character because he is the man you want to be and the man you are glad you are not. A compelling character with more tales to come. “
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