John Marcone

"Gentleman" John Marcone, also known as Jonny Marcone or Johnnie Marcone, is a human male and a crime lord. He first appears in Storm Front.

Description
John Marcone has short, salt-and-pepper hair, sun-hardened smile-lines, and green eyes the color of old dollar bills. He is good-looking, tanned, athletic, and enthusiastic. He looks more like a football coach than a criminal. John Marcone isn't his real name. He was forty years old when he first appeared in Storm Front.

Marcone is a killer, earning his livelihood on human misery and suffering, peddling in drugs, flesh and stolen goods. He is also a soldier and a warrior, dedicated to his goals, minimizing said suffering as it is the most efficient way to run a business, and to his people, defending them with brute force, if need be, and avenging them if he couldn't. His mind is a dry and cool place, except for a dim corner, hidden away from his everyday thoughts, hosting a secret shame which is the basis of his strength and resolve. He controls the majority of organized crime in Chicago.

Differently from other predators, Marcone would go to extreme lengths to help and protect children; he considers adults as fair game but deems kids off limits. He's vanished every one of his employees that ever crossed the line. He also discreetly cares for Amanda Beckitt, who is permanently hospitalized in a coma.

He is a Freeholding Lord under the Unseelie Accords, with the title of Baron Marcone. Also titled the Accorded Baron of Chicago, he is the first regular human to be a signatory of the Accords. He is on the board of directors of Chicago Historical & Art Society, owns Executive Priority Health, organized the Brighter Future Society and built headquarters for the Chicago Alliance.

He seems to have some respect for Harry Dresden, and acknowledges his power. Throughout the series, despite the disrespectful and insulting way Dresden talks to him, Marcone never goes beyond threats and, usually helps Dresden on the latter's terms. In Aftermath, when insultingly confronted by William Borden and Karrin Murphy, he throws a silver knife directly into Will's shoulder while Hendricks points a gun at them, bluntly telling them to watch their tongues as they do not have the power that Dresden had.

Storm Front
In Storm Front, Marcone tries to stop Harry Dresden by buying him off the Jennifer Stanton case. While in the car, Dresden accidentally soulgazes him and sees that he's like a predator able to kill in the most efficient way when necessary. Overall he runs the underground of Chicago effectively, profitably, and ruthlessly. Later, Dresden tracks Gimpy, who stole his hair, to the Varsity where Marcone and Hendricks are. Gimpy refuses to show his wrist where Dresden scratched him, Hendricks shoots him.

Fool Moon
In Fool Moon, Marcone tries to hire Dresden as his head of security. This is presumably a countermeasure to the threat of the Loup-garou. Marcone has been working against the Northwest Passage Project, and provides this information in an attempt to preserve his life. In an attempt to stop the killings, Dresden instigates a big showdown on Marcone's estate between himself with the Alphas and Tera West, the FBI hexenwolves and Harley MacFinn in Loup-garou form, and Marcone with Hendricks.

Death Masks
In Death Masks, Marcone's Chicago Historical & Art Society is holding a fundraiser at the Marriott Downtown Chicago Hotel. Harry Dresden, Susan Rodriguez and Martin suspect that this is where the Shroud of Turin is going to be sold by the Churchmice smuggler, Anna Valmont. As such, Rodriguez and Dresden attend the fundraiser. While there, they are introduced to Marcone's new security consultant Ms. Gard. Dresden guesses that Marcone is the buyer for the Shroud.

Later, Marcone provides helicopter transportation to follow the Denarian infested train to St. Louis. He assists the Knights of the Cross and recovers the Shroud of Turin in order to attempt the resuscitation of a comatose young girl; he harbors great regret for her current state. Her status is implied to be one of the motivations for his 'no children' rule.

Dead Beat
In Dead Beat, Marcone appears in the nick of time to save Harry Dresden from the Corpsetaker. In the process, Gard tells him he is challenging fate. He provides some information and drops Dresden off at Cook County Hospital to investigate the survival of one of his 'mortally wounded' men.

White Night
In White Night, Marcone has purchased the Madison Hotel and re-opened it as a re-iteration of the Velvet Room, called Executive Priority Health. The upper class brothel disguised as a health club is managed by Ms. Demeter.

After discovering Ms. Demeter's identity, Dresden Soulgazes her and a mini-movie of sorts plays out in his mind. The soulgaze reveals that Marcone took over Chicago's underworld from under the Vargassi family's rule, 2 years prior to the events of Storm Front. In an attempt by the Vargassi's to take him out, Amanda Beckitt was shot.

Dresden enlists Marcone's help during the battle of the Raith Deeps in exchange for a "seat at the table". With Dresden's endorsement, Marcone becomes the first normal human Freeholding Lord under the Unseelie Accords. This new status allows him to better defend himself, and Chicago against supernatural threats. His three required signatures come from Harry Dresden (as representative of the White Council), Lara Raith (on behalf of her father, the White King), and Donar Vadderung (the CEO of Monoc Securities).

In the battle in the Deeps, Dresden challenges Marcone's sense of honor and morality, stating that threats won't deter him, but begging for his help. This shocks Marcone, and he then starts assisting in rescuing the White Court thralls. Although he is disabled by Vittorio Malvora's psychic attack, Marcone is rescued himself by Thomas Raith at the end of the battle.

Before signing the accords contract, Dresden notes that the little girl in a coma that Marcone cares for is actually Amanda Beckitt, though her mother still believes she is dead. Marcone states that to learn the truth would shatter Beckitt's world.

Small Favor
In Small Favor, an empty apartment building is destroyed. The building is owned by Lake Michigan Ventures, a subsidiary of Mitigation Unlimited, whose CEO is Marcone. Mab appears near the building and shows Harry Dresden a "recording" of the events of the buildings destruction. It appears that the building was a magical and physical safe-house that Marcone, Gard and Hendricks retreated to. They were attacked, and Marcone was kidnapped. Possibly a downside to him being a Freeholding Lord under the Unseelie Accords, Mab appoints Harry Dresden as her Emissary and instructs him to find the crime lord.

Dresden finds out that Marcone was kidnapped by Denarians and held under duress, possibly to show that vanilla mortals have no place in the Accords; This idea was later superseded by the hypotheris that the Denarians wanted to recruit Marcone by forcing him to take a coin, in turn replaced by the idea that Nicodemus Archleone was in fact using Marcone as bait in order to recruit The Archive. The attack on Marcone's safe-house was a trial run for the attack on Ivy.

When Dresden finally tracks down Marcone, on Demonreach, Marcone is shown to have put up a fight against his captors though he had been tortured and had part of his ear ripped off. The first thing Marcone asks is if Dresden can help the child, which annoys Dresden as it shows that he is not simply criminal scum. He is eventually rescued, leaving with Ivy by way of helicopter flown by Gard.

During the chaos on the island, the coin of Thorned Namshiel goes missing. Dresden and Sanya believe that Marcone, or someone in his organization, took it. When Marcone is confronted, he claims to be unaware, revealing that Gard is reporting to her home office. It appears either Marcone or Monoc Securities have gained access to their own Fallen Angel expert in magic and magical theory.

"Even Hand"
In "Even Hand", Marcone executes two rival henchmen for breaking his "no children" rule within his territory. He is then approached by Justine, who requests asylum for herself and a small child. They are attacked by a cantrev lord of the Fomor, Mag who is seeking to retrieve the child. As the Fomor are signatories of the Unseelie Accords, Marcone is reluctant to become involved, until Mag insults him. Combined with the fact that a child is involved, Marcone and his allies defeat the Fomor sorcerer, mainly through use of a number of building defenses. Marcone realizes that Justine had been using the child as cover for her theft of account numbers from the Fomor and relieves her of the information. He is satisfied that his defenses worked against a magic user, as he is planning for a future confrontation with Harry Dresden.

Changes
In Changes, Marcone makes a brief appearance where he meets Harry Dresden at a Burger King to discuss information regarding the location of Dresden's daughter, Maggie. He is unable to provide direct assistance, but Ms. Gard states that Donar Vadderung wishes to speak with Dresden.

Aftermath
In Aftermath, Gentleman Marcone accepts a meeting with Karrin Murphy and William Borden. He denies any involvement with Harry Dresden's demise, but admits an interest in the people behind Georgia's kidnapping and instructs Ms. Gard to provide them with all the pertinent information.

Ghost Story
In Ghost Story, Molly Carpenter informs Harry Dresden that Marcone is in Italy. He has also built a castle for the Brighter Future Society on the location of Harry Dresden's former residence. Marcone and his people have alibis for the time of Dresden's shooting.

Cold Days
In Cold Days, it is shown that the Brighter Future Society was Lara Raith's idea, but Marcone imported the Castle which was built on the site of Harry Dresden's old apartment. Lara tried to seduce the crime boss, but he kept it strictly business, becoming the second man to turn her down in a century—much to her chagrin.

Skin Game
In Skin Game, Marcone is shown to have collaborated behind the scenes with Mab and Hades to set up Nicodemus Archleone downfall.