Lilah Strong

Strong, Detective Lilah - Detective in the Illegals division of Cop Central, NYPSD

Strong first appeared in Treachery in Death (late summer 2060) and then in New York to Dallas (late summer 2060)^[1], Delusion in Death (October/November, 2060), Connections in Death (March, 2061), and was mentioned in Faithless in Death (May, 2061)^[2] and Random in Death (August, 2061)^[3]

Description: A female detective, mixed-race, with a short crop of curls and toffee-colored skin^[4]; exceptionally beautiful and quite the attitude
DOB: ~2027
Place of Birth: Jamaica, Queens
Age: 33 in late summer 2060^[5] (Dallas judged her to be “early thirties”)^[5]
Complexion: Toffee-colored
Height: 5 feet, 6 inches (167.64 cm)
Weight: 122 pounds
Address: Third-floor apartment in a pleasant working-class neighborhood.^[6]
Relationships: Tic Wendall (cohab in Treachery); single mother; no father on record; older brother (deceased); younger sister; Matthew Fenster (beau in Connections)

Strong's brother died in 2045 at age 17. After a history of juvenile crime (sealed record) he was stabbed to death “during what looks like a drug deal gone wrong.”^[4]
Attended NYU on a partial scholarship, with a major in law enforcement.^[4]
- Strong was inspired by her brother's addiction and death to “a career working against what killed her brother,”^[4] and thereby “maybe do something so somebody’s mother didn’t get her heart broken, somebody’s sister wouldn’t ask herself, again and again, if she could’ve done more, if she could’ve stopped it, saved him.”^[7]

Strong joined the NYPSD around 2050, so she had “ten years on the job” at the time of Treachery in Death.^[4]
She had seven years in Illegals (as of 2060).^[4]
Her house was the one-six-three.^[4]
Early in 2060 she transferred to Cop Central.^[4]
Strong is on the Illegals squad run by Lieutenant Renee Oberman.^[5]
- She didn’t like Oberman^[4] and didn’t care for how the lieutenant ran the squad.^[8]
- She was planning to work six more months and apply to transfer.^[7]
After judging her to be a solid cop, Lieutenant Eve Dallas recruited Strong for undercover investigation (sanctioned by Commander Whitney^[8]) into Oberman's corrupt practices.^[7]
She sustained significant injuries at the hands of Detective Carl Bix.^[9]
- ”Broken arm, including a shattered elbow. Compound fracture of the leg, cracked skull, damaged spleen and kidney, severe facial lacerations.”^[10]
- She received treatment by an orthopedic surgeon, a plastic surgeon, and a neurologist, plus Dr. Louise Dimatto for her internal injuries.^[10]
- She was assigned to light duty while she recovered.^[11]
She was awarded the NYPSD's Meritorious Police Duty Honor for Integrity in New York to Dallas in late summer, 2060; she was on crutches.^[1]
In autumn 2060 Strong was recruited for the team working to identify the Red Horse murderer in Delusion in Death.^[12] Eve commented that she was still favoring her leg, and she'd lost weight.^[13]

She cohabbed with Tic Wendall, who was “big—Arena Ball-tackle big—with massive shoulders, tree-trunk legs, and bricklayer biceps” but was a tax attorney and the “sweetest man” Strong had ever met.^[14]
- Tic had a tiny fluffy dog named Rapunzel whom he took everywhere, including work.^[14]

In Treachery in Death, she lived with Tic Wendall. In Connections in Death, she was now dating Matt Fenster, a drug rehab counselor. No explanation in Connections as to why she and Wendall were no longer together.^[15]

Contents