| 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 |