Dan lives in a world that is drawn from Christchurch, New Zealand.

The roads walked by Dan echo the byways and lanes of the town Sally called home during most of the writing process. For instance, Nanny Wortle’s cottage was sited somewhere near the Rangiora of the story-world. Joel carried this through into his art for the book, so that Dan can be seen standing in Worcester Boulevard in some images, and the giant chess set in ‘The Square’ is featured in two images used in the story. The Cathedral itself is featured in the very first image of the book. Here are some other settings from Deputy Dan & the Mysterious Midnight Marauder that were closely based on Christchurch locations –

• The Hog And Whistle
• Puff Hill
• The Academy of Dance
• The Court House