History Literature / AtticusKodiak

* FriendOnTheForce: Played straight with Kodiak's SurferDude FBI contact. Averted in ''Patriot Acts''.

''Keeper'' (1996): Atticus is hired to protect a woman who will speak at an abortion conference.

''Finder'' (1997): Atticus tries to protect the runaway daughter of his former commanding officer.

''Smoker'' (1998): Atticus gets a chance to rehabilitate his reputation as a bodyguard when he is hired to protect a witness in a high-profile tobacco lawsuit.

''Shooting At Midnight'' (1999): Atticus merely guest-stars as Rucka turns most of the narration duties over to Bridgett Logan, Atticus's ex-girlfriend. Bridgett must deal with the demons of her past when a close friend asks Bridgett to help her murder someone.

''Critical Space'' (2001): While guarding a British Royal, Atticus is offered a job by the expert assassin known only as "Drama".

''Patriot Acts'' (2007): The story involves the aftermath of the climax of ''Critical Space'' and follows Atticus and Drama over the next three years as they seek revenge for several attempts on their lives, and the death of their friend, Natalie Trent.

''Walking Dead'' (2009): While living in hiding with Alena ("Drama" in earlier titles), Atticus witnesses the murder of a neighbor family and kidnapping of their daughter. In effort to find the missing girl, Atticus must infiltrate the seedy world of international human trafficking.

* BigBrotherIsYourFriend: Played straight with Kodiak's surfer dude FBI contact. Averted in Patriot Acts.

* DownerEnding: All of the Kodiak novels, except for ''Smoker'', end with a downer. ''[[strike:A]] Shooting at Midnight'' is only marginally a Kodiak novel, which may be why it has a BittersweetEnding.
* ExpansionPackPast: Bridget Logan. ''[[strike:A]] Shooting at Midnight'' is devoted to exploring it.

* KilledOffForReal: Let's put it like this: This is a series that had a large stable of supporting characters who appeared in each story. By the end of Patriot Acts, all but three of them are dead.
* MeaningfulName: Atticus Kodiak is named after one of the greatest heroes of 20th century literature and a giant bear.

A series of novels featuring bodyguard Atticus Kodiak, written by Greg Rucka. The series began as a crime drama/police procedural focusing on the work of a professional protection specialist, but as the series goes on it morphs into an espionage drama focused on the life and work of professional assassins.

''Keeper''(1996): Atticus is hired to protect a woman who will speak at an abortion conference.

''Finder''(1997): Atticus tries to protect the runaway daughter of his former commanding officer.

''Smoker''(1998): Atticus gets a chance to rehabilitate his reputation as a bodyguard when he is hired to protect a witness in a high-profile tobacco lawsuit.

''Shooting At Midnight''(1999): Atticus merely guest-stars as Rucka turns most of the narration duties over to Bridgett Logan, Atticus's ex-girlfriend. Bridgett must deal with the demons of her past when a close friend asks Bridgett to help her murder someone.

''Critical Space''(2001): While guarding a British Royal, Atticus is offered a job by the expert assassin known only as "Drama".

''Patriot Acts''(2007): The story involves the aftermath of the climax of ''Critical Space'' and follows Atticus and Drama over the next three years as they seek revenge for several attempts on their lives, and the death of their friend, Natalie Trent.

''Walking Dead''(2009): While living in hiding with Alena ("Drama" in earlier titles), Atticus witnesses the murder of a neighbor family and kidnapping of their daughter. In effort to find the missing girl, Atticus must infiltrate the seedy world of international human trafficking.

Novels featuring Atticus Kodiak

''Keeper''

First in the series (1996). Atticus is hired to protect a woman who will speak at an abortion conference.

''Finder''

Second in the series (1997). Atticus tries to protect the runaway daughter of his former commanding officer.

''Smoker''

Third in the series (1998). Atticus gets a chance to rehabilitate his reputation as a bodyguard when he is hired to protect a witness in a high-profile tobacco lawsuit.

''Shooting At Midnight''

Fourth in the series (1999). Atticus merely guest-stars as Rucka turns most of the narration duties over to Bridgett Logan, Atticus's ex-girlfriend. Bridgett must deal with the demons of her past when a close friend asks Bridgett to help her murder someone.

''Critical Space''

Fifth in the series (2001). While guarding a British Royal, Atticus is offered a job by the expert assassin known only as "Drama".

''Patriot Acts''

Sixth in the series (2007), the story involves the aftermath of the climax of Critical Space and follows Atticus and Drama over the next three years as they seek revenge for several attempts on their lives, and the death of their friend, Natalie Trent.

''Walking Dead''

Seventh entry in the series (2009). While living in hiding with Alena ("Drama" in earlier titles), Atticus witnesses the murder of a neighbor family and kidnapping of their daughter. In effort to find the missing girl, Atticus must infiltrate the seedy world of international human trafficking.

* DownerEnding: All of the Kodiak novels, except for Smoker, end with a downer. ''[[strike:A]] Shooting at Midnight'' is only marginally a Kodiak novel, which may be why it has a BittersweetEnding.

'''Keeper'''

'''Finder'''

'''Smoker'''

'''Shooting At Midnight'''

'''Critical Space'''

'''Patriot Acts'''

'''Walking Dead'''

* BigBrotherIsYourFriend: Played straight with Kodiak's surfer dude FBI contact. Averted hard in Patriot Acts.

* AffablyEvil: Assassin Oxford got his code name by being this. Don't let it fool you.
** Oxford got his code name by his first "big" kill being a Cambridge don. An investigator, playing off of the long-standing rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford quipped that the killer "must have been an Oxford man." While Oxford does play AffablyEvil, it has '''nothing''' to do with his code name.
* {{Anvilicious}}: An average of one solid anvil dropping per novel. ''Keeper'' probably racks up the most with its exploration of the pro-choice/anti-choice movements, but Smoker drops them on Big Tobacco, and Patriot Acts drops them on the post-9/11 security state. This troper has not read ''Walking Dead'' yet, but since the synopsis says its about human trafficking, expect the most anvils since ''Keeper.''

* CharacterDevelopment: The character of Kodiak by the [[strike:ninth]] '''''seventh''''' book has very little in common with the character at the start of the first book. However, supporting characters don't get very much, and when they do it's part of an ExpansionPackPast.
** There are only seven books.
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The final two pages of ''Finder'' are maybe Kodiak's best moments in the series.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: In Keeper, when Kodiak begins to equivocate on his pro-choice stance, Bridget Logan drops a heavy pro-choice anvil on him, and the reader.

** YourMileageMayVary: in a book which was very even-handed in its portrayal of both sides, we suddenly have Bridget Logan who starts demeaning and ridiculing one side culminating in a rant about how fetuses are, for all intents and purposes, parasites. Book, meet wall.
*** Given Bridget's character, as developed in later books, this was not out of place. Bridie is portrayed as extremely opinionated, and very "in your face" about her opinions. So, yes-- YourMileageMayVary, very definitely.

** YourMileageMayVary: in a book which was very even-handed in its portrayal of both sides, we suddenly have Bridget Logan who starts demeaning and ridiculing one side culminating in a rant about how fetuses are, for all intents and purposes, parasites. [[WallBanger Book, meet wall.]]

** YourMileageMayVary: in a book which was very even-handed in its portrayal of both sides, we suddenly have Bridget Logan who starts demeaning and ridiculing one side culminating in a rant about how fetuses are, for all intents and purposes, parasites. [[WallBanger Book, meet wall.]]

* ExpansionPackPast: Bridget Logan. ''A Shooting at Midnight'' is devoted to exploring it.

* DownerEnding: All of the Kodiak novels, except for Smoker, end with a downer. ''A Shooting at Midnight'' is only marginally a Kodiak novel, which may be why it has a BittersweetEnding.

* CharacterDevelopment: The character of Kodiak by the ninth book has very little in common with the character at the start of the first book. However, supporting characters don't get very much, and when they do it's part of an ExpansionPackPast.

Sixth in the series (2007), the story involves the aftermath of the climax of Critical Space and follows Atticus and Drama over the next three years as they seek revenge for several attempts on their lives.