FBI Special Agent Peter Burke

Peter Burke is the FBI agent who finally caught the con man Neal Caffrey after years of chasing him, and now finds himself supervising his release into a working partnership. He is methodical, rule-bound, and quietly proud of his record — but curious enough about Neal's talents to bend procedure when it gets results.

Tim DeKay plays the straight man without ever making him dull, finding real warmth and dry humor under the procedure. Peter's appeal is the tension between his genuine belief in the law and his grudging admiration for the criminal he's supposed to be reforming — a partnership that only works because Burke is smart enough to enjoy being outsmarted sometimes.