A series of erotic photographs sent by Nocole to her then boyfriend Marcus Barrett were used to “catfish” a vulnerable young man in The Ink Black Heart.

Described as a “pre-Raphaelite beauty” (p938), she is unaware of the photos she sent to Marcus to “give him something to – you know – think about” (p940) being stolen and despite her parents evident disapproval is unashamed and unconcerned about sending them.

The use of “pre-Raphaelite” to describe her recalls to the reader the artist and muse Lizzie Siddal, buried in Highgate Cemetery, whose red hair allegedly continued to grow after her death, whose image was used to recreate idealised romantic imagery.

Nicole talks to Strike and Robin via ‘Facetime’ after Barclay is dispatched to her family home in the Bearsden district of Glasgow to talk to her in Chapter 96.

It’s Robin who initially finds Nicole, using a photograph she assumes is of another young woman, by uploading the photo into a Google image search (Ch 92). A clue in the background of the photo, some pastel crayons, help confirm she’s a student at the Glasgow School of Art and Robin finds a recently-used Twitter account in her name.

Nicole is a candid interviewee and protective of her friends and ex-boyfriend. Her father’s comment: “… when you give men these kinds of pictures you’ve effectively given them a means of blackmailing you or shaming you – “ (p940) provides one of the only insights from a parent, someone outside the online life of the various children and young adults, commenting on negotiating social media and the potential pitfalls.