Swan Laurence

Commissaire Swan Laurence is a recurring non-canonical character which appears in Season 2 of French TV series Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie and the lead investigator in that season. He works at the Commissariat of Police in Lille and is subordinate to commissaire divisionaire Ernest Tricard. Laurence is assisted by his secretary Marlène Leroy and is accompanied on his cases by the reporter Alice Avril. One of the recurring themes in the season is how Alice gets involved in the cases either deliberately or by accident despite Laurence's preference to work on his own. The chemistry between Swan Laurence and Alice Avril is reminiscent of that between Miss Marple and Inspector Slack in the BBC series Miss Marple.

In the first episode of Season 2, Jeux de glaces, Laurence arrives in Lille having been posted in from Paris. He drives straight to the crime scene even before he has gone to the commissariat or reported to his superior.

In the Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie episode based off Hercule Poirot's Christmas, it is revealed that Laurence has a son.

Swan Laurence is portrayed by Samuel Labarthe.

Research notes
Laurence's rank of commissaire is variously translated but is definitely senior to "inspector" because in "Jeux de glaces", Tricard wants to assign an inspector to work under him. It is probably equivalent to Chief Inspector or Superintendent. In this case, Tricard is two grades above him, and roughly equivalent to a Deputy Assistant Commissioner.

Note that in French usage, titles such as "commissaire" are not capitalised.