Who is Marvin Herbert Van Fleet from New York Dead and what is their importance? New_York_Dead English & Literature Marvin Herbert Van Fleet | New York Dead

Marvin Herbert Van Fleet is a failed medical student working as an embalmer at his family's funeral parlor. Though Herb, as he instructs Stone to call him, was a gifted medical student and intern, he was removed from the program after he was discovered having sex with a sedated patient.

Van Fleet is introduced to the reader when Stone observes him at Elaine's, trying to pick up women at the bar by diagnosing them. Elaine tells Stone that Doc, as he is known at the bar, does this often, but seems harmless. Van Fleet then becomes a suspect in the Nijinsky case when it is discovered that over a period of time he had written Sasha thousands of fan letters. Stone and Dino investigate Van Fleet, even searching his apartment, but the investigation leads nowhere and the police department moves on.