The novel’s protagonist, Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad, initially appears to be yet another in a long line of hardboiled literary detectives: cynical in the face of death, adept in urban environments, often willing to bend the law to his own ends. Indeed, Borlú is all of these. Like any good detective, he dwells in two worlds—the cop’s and the criminal’s. When he interrogates Khurusch, the owner of the van, his knowledge of how criminals operate allows him to see through Khurusch’s lies. He is not above threats and coercion to pull information out of a suspect. In the end, he commits the ultimate crime: He kills a suspect without due process, acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Perhaps worse, he breaches the sacrosanct borders. He does fit the standard noir detective bill in one more way—he is isolated, unmarried, with few social connections, which makes him an ideal candidate for Breach. He must forgo his entire social network—mainly Corwi and Dhatt—but his relatively solitary life eases the transition.

Despite his rough-and-tumble exterior, however, Borlú keeps an open mind. At first convinced Orciny is only a folk tale, he allows himself to consider the possibility of its existence as he delves deeper into the case.