1 | Eleanor | Maxie | Owner of Martingale, party hostess |
| Dr. Charles | Epps | Physician |
| Bernard | Hinks | Vicar |
| Miss | Liddell | Warden of St. Mary's Refuge for Girls |
| Catherine | Bowers | Nurse, guest of the Maxies, in love with Stephen |
| Stephen | Maxie | Mrs. Maxie's son, medical student |
| Deborah | Riscoe | Stephen's sister, widow |
| Sally | Jupp | Unmarried mother, from St. Mary's, hired help at the Maxie's |
| Martha | Bultitaft | Housekeeper for the Maxies |
| Miss | Pollack | Assistant to Miss Liddell at St. Mary's |
| Samuel | Bocock | In charge of the Maxie stables |
| Simon | Maxie | Eleanor's husband, father of Stephen & Deborah, invalid |
2 | James | | Sally Jupp's baby |
| Christian | Bowers | Artist, Catherine's father |
| Katie | Bowers | Catherine's mother |
| Felix | Hearne | Friend of Deborah, publishing executive |
| Edward | Riscoe | Deborah's husband, died of
poliomyelitis |
4 | Det. Sgt. | Martin | Scotland Yard officer, Dalgliesh's assistant |
| Det. Chief Insp. Adam | Dalgliesh | Scotland Yard officer in charge of the investigation |
| Supt. | Manning | Local police officer |
| Dr. Charles | Feltman | Police surgeon |
5 | Mrs. | Pullen | Assistant to Miss Liddell at St. Mary's |
| Lionel | Jephson | The Maxies' lawyer |
| Sir Reynold | Price | Local landowner |
| Mr. | Wilson | Owner of the village store |
| Derek | Pullen | Young man seen outside the night of the murder |
| Johnnie | Wilcox | 12-year-old who saw Sally Jupp & a man in the hayloft of Bocock's stable the afternoon of the fete. |
6 | Mrs. Victor | Proctor | Sally's aunt |
7 | Mrs. | Pullen | Derek's mother |
8 | Miss | Titley | Employee of the Select Book Club |
| Miss | Molpas | Manager of the Select Book Club |
| Beatrice | Melling | Deceased, former employee of the Select Book Club, a friend of Sally Jupp when the also worked at the store |
| James | Ritchie | Sally Jupp's husband |