The City and the City

Dhatt is Borlú’s Ul Qoma counterpart, and although they follow different protocols, they share the camaraderie of the police force. Assigned to work together, Dhatt clarifies their roles from the start: “We’re going to work out what we do together, but I’ve got to be the officer here” (164). Although initially apologetic about the “turf bullshit,” his patience is tested repeatedly as Borlú carves out his own investigative path. When interviewing suspects, Dhatt insists on having the first (and last) word. If Borlú asks a question that suggests they’re not on the same page, Dhatt shoots him a reproachful look. Neither man is used to collaborating—especially across borders—and Dhatt, on his own turf, feels territorial.

While stark differences remain between the two detectives—Dhatt is clearly more willing to use physical intimidation on a suspect, for example—they eventually coalesce around the shared goal of finding Geary’s killer, which supersedes all concerns of jurisdiction. Even more of an Orciny skeptic than Borlú, Dhatt is still willing to consider its existence, albeit reluctantly. Although he may resent Borlú’s interference, he emerges as a cooperative partner, even taking orders from Borlú during the climactic final scenes.

Corwi, a regional constable brought on to assist Borlú in the murder investigation, wastes little time contributing valuable knowledge and experience to the case. When the male officers assume Geary was a sex worker because of the location of her body, Corwi immediately sees clues the others miss. Her makeup is not the right shade and is not applied heavily enough for a typical sex worker. When Borlú assigns her to canvas the area and interrogate members of far-right extremist groups, he has complete confidence in her ability. Corwi is the ideal subordinate—loyal, efficient, and dependable. No matter the assignment—even pulling together false documents and arranging a prisoner transfer at 3:00am—Corwi is up to the task.

Although Geary never appears in the narrative except as the catalyst for a murder investigation, she is important as the focal point for the story’s political corruption and mythological flight-of-fancy. China Miéville reveals her character gradually, through forensic evidence and interviews. An exceptionally bright Ph.D. student, Geary’s work impresses her peers and instructors, all of whom have high hopes for her future; but Isabelle Nancy, her Ph.D. adviser, bemoans her misguided obsession with Orciny and fears it will derail her professional career. Geary, however, is not afraid to ruffle professional feathers, and her controversial presentation at an academic conference taints her reputation. She is also a woman of integrity. When she discovers her academic hero, Bowden, is at the center of a smuggling scheme, she has the courage to confront him, an act that costs her her life. Geary’s fixation on Orciny also gives the narrative its Kafkaesque tone of paranoia as even the most diehard skeptics begin to believe in its reality. In the end, all the talk of Orciny and of supernatural relics boils down to a fairly routine case of corruption, cover-up, and murder.

Rodriguez, Geary’s closest friend, serves several purposes in the narrative. She helps flesh out Geary’s character through dialogue and remembrance. Second, her disappearance intensifies the mystery and lends credence to the Orciny conspiracy angle. When Borlú finally tracks her down, her own obsession with Orciny, her absolute certainty that it exists and that its inhabitants possess superhuman powers, begins to infect Borlú and even inform his decision-making. Always willing to consider all possibilities, Borlú cannot say for sure that Orciny is a lie, so he agrees to smuggle Rodriguez out of Ul Qoma, despite her fear that nowhere is safe. If Geary’s murder launches the investigation, Rodriguez’s murder ends it as Borlú pursues the shooter along borders until he takes justice into his own hands.