CHARACTERS
The People at the Heart
of the Mystery
Larry Dixon’s Cabin moves between two eras and brings together a cast of historical and fictional characters whose lives become connected by the mystery surrounding Tom Thomson’s death.
THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
TOM THOMSON
1917
The renowned Canadian artist whose mysterious death at Canoe Lake lies at the heart of the story.
DAPHNE CROMBIE
1977
An elderly woman whose memories of Canoe Lake and Tom Thomson may hold the key to what happened sixty years earlier.
JEFF O’BRIAN
1977
A young Toronto journalist whose assignment becomes an investigation into the decades-old mystery of Tom Thomson’s death.
“THE FRASERS”
1917
Annie and Shannon Fraser operate Mowat Lodge at Canoe Lake, where Tom Thomson stays during his time in Algonquin Park.
NORMAN ECCLESTONE
1977
Paul Wilkins’ quiet assistant, a watchful and unsettling presence who always seems to be nearby, listening and observing.
TERRI
1977
Jeff O’Brian’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, whose blunt honesty often frustrates him. Though they struggle as a couple, Jeff values her judgment and respects that she never backs down.
CHARLES PLEWMAN
1977
Reluctantly recruited as a fill-in pallbearer at Tom Thomson’s funeral, Plewman found himself an unexpected witness to one of the most solemn moments surrounding the artist’s death.
OTHER CHARACTERS
WINNIFRED TRAINOR
1917
A young woman from Huntsville whose close relationship with Tom Thomson becomes an important part of the mystery surrounding his final days.
INSPECTOR WALLACE
1977
A Toronto police inspector with a difficult history with Jeff O’Brian. When a robbery at Daphne Crombie’s home brings them together again, old tensions quickly resurface.
TIFFANY
1977
The receptionist at the Toronto Gazette and an aspiring journalist taking classes at a local college. She admires Jeff O’Brian and hopes one day to follow in his footsteps.
JUDGE WILLIAM T. LITTLE
1977
A retired judge who has spent years quietly investigating Tom Thomson’s death. Guided by evidence and reason, Little sees unanswered questions and inconsistencies where others see a long-settled mystery.
MARTIN BLETCHER
1917
A wealthy American cottager whose confrontational manner unsettles the close-knit community at Canoe Lake.
PAUL WILKINS
1977
A Toronto art dealer whose knowledge of Tom Thomson and his paintings becomes important to Jeff O’Brian’s investigation.
BRIAN GARVEY
1977
Jeff O’Brian’s editor, whose decision to assign him the Tom Thomson anniversary story sets the investigation in motion.
PETE, THE BARTENDER
1977
A longtime friend of Jeff O’Brian and owner of Jeff’s favourite bar. Quiet and observant, Pete keeps mostly to himself but has a subtle way of looking after his regulars.
LIEUTENANT CROMBIE
1917
Daphne Crombie’s husband, a military officer suffering from a grave illness. On his doctor’s advice, he and Daphne travel to Algonquin Park in the hope that its clean northern air will aid his recovery.