In the beginning of Lethal White, Andy Hutchins is the only subcontracted employee Strike has kept on a somewhat permanent basis. Recommended to Strike by Eric Wardle, Hutchins is a former policeman with the Met who took an early retirement after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.  Hutchins is ten years older than Strike, married to a woman called Louise and is described as “thin and saturnine.” Strike finds Hutchins to be reliable and trusts him to “get the job done without constant supervision.” ¹

It appears that both Strike and Robin get along well with Hutchins. Robin invites Hutchins and his wife to her and Matthew’s housewarming party and even prepares him special food.² Hutchins sticks to a strict diet due to his MS that Strike finds “positively punitive.” ³

In Troubled Blood, Hutchins continues to be a reliable and trustworthy colleague to Strike and Robin. With his MS in remission⁴, he works on many of the agency’s cases and is able to provide them with helpful contacts at the Met when necessary.⁵ Hutchins is described as the agency’s quietest member⁶, but does voice his concerns to Strike about their newest hire. ⁷

Early on in The Ink Black Heart, Hutchins hands in his notice and leaves the agency. The agency have a leaving do dinner for him at an unnamed restaurant.

In the Strike TV series, the character of Andy Hutchins was omitted. 

^{1: Lethal White, Chapter 1
2: Lethal White, Chapter 7
3: Lethal White, Chapter 1
4: Troubled Blood, Chapter 8
5: Troubled Blood, Chapter 32
6: Troubled Blood, Chapter 39
7: Troubled Blood, Chapter 7}