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'''BlackThorpe Security''' is a fictional business featured in two separate series written by Canadian Christian romance author [[Kimberly Rae Jordan]], '''The McKinleys''' (a three-book series) and a subsequent series with the title of the firm itself.
The company is an international security firm: many of its employees are former military. It requires that its employees undergo extensive background checks, and further requires its managers and key employees to be armed at all times and be proficient in self-defense techniques. The name comes from its two founders: Marcus Black and Alex Thorpe (originally they had two other partners, who left due to differences in how the company should be run).
The two series revolves around the professional and personal lives of BlackThorpe employees and their immediate families. Notably, four main families are featured: in addition to the McKinleys, the other families are the '''Hamiltons''' (a wealthy family which has had multiple dealings with the firm), the '''Thorpes''' (Alex and his two sisters, who also work in the firm), and the '''Black/Morrell''' clan (Marcus Black and Justin Morrell, a key employee, are cousins). In addition, two key employees (who later become romantically involved with members of the families listed) are featured: computer hacker/whiz Trent Hause and personal security leader, language expert (and resident "serial dater") Nathaniel "Than" Miller. Notably, beginning with the last of the McKinley books and throughout the entire BlackThorpe series, the company is the target of attacks (both physical and cyber) by a competitor firm, which plays a key role in events along the way.
==The McKinleys==
===Backstory===
Doug and Caroline McKinley served as missionaries to Africa. At the time, they had two children, Eric and Brooke. However, Doug had an affair with another of the missionaries, Sherry Leighton; when the affair was discovered the McKinleys were returned to the United States, and afterwards terminated by the organization. Although Doug and Caroline were able to save their marriage, both Eric and Brooke rejected Christianity as a result; furthermore, unbeknownst to Doug his affair with Sherry resulted in a daughter, Alicia (Sherry would also renounce her faith as well). Also, Caroline was also pregnant at the same time, and gave birth to Victoria (Tori); Eric and Brooke saw Tori as a reminder of all the family had lost and generally ignored her while she was growing up.
===Eric===
===Brooke===
===Tori===
===Alicia===
==The Hamiltons==
===Backstory===
Leon Hamilton (who, at the time of the family's introduction, was deceased) had built a business empire, Hamilton Enterprises. With his wife Sylvia, the couple had three children: twin brothers Lincoln and Lucas, and sister Lindsay.
Leon's approach to life was that any problem could be solved as long as you threw enough money at it. He believed that since he was financially providing for his family, he could have "variety" in his personal life (as Lindsay would later describe it -- with dripping sarcasm -- "woman after woman paraded through his life") and didn't care about the consequences. It would lead oldest son Lincoln to adopt the same approach to life, which in turn led Lindsay to a general disdain for men in general; on the other hand, Lucas would become an active Christian and start the company's charitable foundation.
===Lincoln===
===Lucas===
===Lindsay===
==The Thorpes==
===Backstory===
Dennis and Pamela Thorpe are the parents of three children: twins Alex and Adrianne and sister Melanie. Alex is the co-founder of BlackThorpe, while Adrianne and Melanie also worked for the company. The three siblings live together in a mansion-style house, configured so that each sibling has his/her own space but with a common dining area; the house also has a guest apartment for visitors. All three are portrayed as Christians (though the level of spiritual maturity is not clear), but notably the three have virtually no romantic lives (Adrianne is the only one who actually dates, yet even then she does so rarely).
===Alex===
===Adrianne===
===Melanie===
==The Black/Morrell clan==
Marcus Black (co-founder) and Justin Morrell (who handles personal security training) are cousins. Both of them have had responsibility for younger siblings (Marcus for sister Meredith, Justin for sister Beth) after Marcus' father massacred the rest of their families, then committed suicide (Beth and Meredith survived as they were in a cabin attic when the attack took place, but witnessed the suicide). Marcus later learns that his father had a second family (consisting of "Jeff" and two unnamed siblings); he provided for Marcus' family but did not for Jeff's, which led Jeff to team with the BlackThorpe attackers.
===Marcus===
===Justin===
The company is an international security firm: many of its employees are former military. It requires that its employees undergo extensive background checks, and further requires its managers and key employees to be armed at all times and be proficient in self-defense techniques. The name comes from its two founders: Marcus Black and Alex Thorpe (originally they had two other partners, who left due to differences in how the company should be run).
The two series revolves around the professional and personal lives of BlackThorpe employees and their immediate families. Notably, four main families are featured: in addition to the McKinleys, the other families are the '''Hamiltons''' (a wealthy family which has had multiple dealings with the firm), the '''Thorpes''' (Alex and his two sisters, who also work in the firm), and the '''Black/Morrell''' clan (Marcus Black and Justin Morrell, a key employee, are cousins). In addition, two key employees (who later become romantically involved with members of the families listed) are featured: computer hacker/whiz Trent Hause and personal security leader, language expert (and resident "serial dater") Nathaniel "Than" Miller. Notably, beginning with the last of the McKinley books and throughout the entire BlackThorpe series, the company is the target of attacks (both physical and cyber) by a competitor firm, which plays a key role in events along the way.
==The McKinleys==
===Backstory===
Doug and Caroline McKinley served as missionaries to Africa. At the time, they had two children, Eric and Brooke. However, Doug had an affair with another of the missionaries, Sherry Leighton; when the affair was discovered the McKinleys were returned to the United States, and afterwards terminated by the organization. Although Doug and Caroline were able to save their marriage, both Eric and Brooke rejected Christianity as a result; furthermore, unbeknownst to Doug his affair with Sherry resulted in a daughter, Alicia (Sherry would also renounce her faith as well). Also, Caroline was also pregnant at the same time, and gave birth to Victoria (Tori); Eric and Brooke saw Tori as a reminder of all the family had lost and generally ignored her while she was growing up.
===Eric===
===Brooke===
===Tori===
===Alicia===
==The Hamiltons==
===Backstory===
Leon Hamilton (who, at the time of the family's introduction, was deceased) had built a business empire, Hamilton Enterprises. With his wife Sylvia, the couple had three children: twin brothers Lincoln and Lucas, and sister Lindsay.
Leon's approach to life was that any problem could be solved as long as you threw enough money at it. He believed that since he was financially providing for his family, he could have "variety" in his personal life (as Lindsay would later describe it -- with dripping sarcasm -- "woman after woman paraded through his life") and didn't care about the consequences. It would lead oldest son Lincoln to adopt the same approach to life, which in turn led Lindsay to a general disdain for men in general; on the other hand, Lucas would become an active Christian and start the company's charitable foundation.
===Lincoln===
===Lucas===
===Lindsay===
==The Thorpes==
===Backstory===
Dennis and Pamela Thorpe are the parents of three children: twins Alex and Adrianne and sister Melanie. Alex is the co-founder of BlackThorpe, while Adrianne and Melanie also worked for the company. The three siblings live together in a mansion-style house, configured so that each sibling has his/her own space but with a common dining area; the house also has a guest apartment for visitors. All three are portrayed as Christians (though the level of spiritual maturity is not clear), but notably the three have virtually no romantic lives (Adrianne is the only one who actually dates, yet even then she does so rarely).
===Alex===
===Adrianne===
===Melanie===
==The Black/Morrell clan==
Marcus Black (co-founder) and Justin Morrell (who handles personal security training) are cousins. Both of them have had responsibility for younger siblings (Marcus for sister Meredith, Justin for sister Beth) after Marcus' father massacred the rest of their families, then committed suicide (Beth and Meredith survived as they were in a cabin attic when the attack took place, but witnessed the suicide). Marcus later learns that his father had a second family (consisting of "Jeff" and two unnamed siblings); he provided for Marcus' family but did not for Jeff's, which led Jeff to team with the BlackThorpe attackers.
===Marcus===
===Justin===