Marcus McLellen Character Analysis in When Will There Be Good News?

Marcus, age 26, is a Detective Constable who works for Louise. Louise has a maternal affection for him. He is cheerful, likes helping people, and is keen to advance in his work. Louise is protective of his innocence and thinks of him as her “sweet boy.” When Marcus responds to a call at Alison Needler’s home, he is shot in the chest by David Needler and dies a week later. Louise, Marcus’s mother, and Marcus’s girlfriend, Ellie, are devastated. Marcus’s mother kills herself the day after his funeral.

Marcus McLellen Character Timeline in When Will There Be Good News?

The timeline below shows where the character Marcus McLellen appears in When Will There Be Good News?. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...way back from a meeting and stops by the station. Her cheerful young Detective Constable, Marcus McLellen, has a forensics report for her. She’s taken Marcus under her wing in a... (full context)

Trauma, Survival, and Reckoning with the Past Theme Icon

Louise and Marcus can’t find a conclusive link between Neil Hunter and the Glasgow drug dealers. Marcus suspects... (full context)

...files on Louise’s desk and, noticing the Hunter files, references the old Mason murders. Young Marcus isn’t familiar with the case, so Louise and Karen fill him in about the random... (full context)

...all the reported sightings of David Needler. She fears that the case is going cold. Marcus comes in with news about Neil Hunter. The manager of one of his arcades was... (full context)

Louise is getting ready to drive to Hawes with Marcus. She thinks about how innocent he looks. In her own youth, most of the men... (full context)

During the trip, Louise makes fun of Marcus’s CD collection, telling him, “You’re too young to die yet.” When they see a newspaper... (full context)

...the station reports back that it’s registered to a Glasgow chauffeur company. She also tells Marcus that the “Andrew Decker” in the hospital was an “ordinary guy.” Privately, she’d checked on... (full context)

Louise and Marcus knock at the address of Agnes Barker. The big, unattractive renter who answers the door... (full context)

Louise feels adrift. She and Marcus go to a café for afternoon tea. Reggie calls Louise, and she ignores the call,... (full context)

Marcus buys fish and chips for everyone. Jackson and Reggie are sitting in the back of... (full context)

Later, while Reggie and Marcus are buying snacks in a service station, Louise feels strong desire for Jackson and wishes... (full context)

...man she should’ve married, or at least run away with—“marriage was for fools.” She drops Marcus off, even though he’s miles out of her way, and contemplates where else she could... (full context)

...guesses it has something to do with the Needlers and that someone is dead. “It’s Marcus,” Karen tells her. (full context)

Marcus is in surgery. Louise sits in the waiting room and tries to understand what happened.... (full context)

Marcus is on life support in the intensive care unit. His mother, widowed and with no... (full context)

...She ignores him, but he catches up with her, saying, “I’m sorry about your boy Marcus.” In her car, Jackson holds Louise while she cries. Then they talk about Joanna Hunter.... (full context)

...bodies in the burned-out house in Penicuik; the burning of the evidence looked professional. Meanwhile, Marcus had been taken off life support after a week and had a hero’s funeral. His... (full context)