| IN | Caroline | Lemarchant | Asked Hercule to investigate a 16-year-old murder case. |
| | Hercule | Poirot | Famous detective. |
| | Amyas | Crale | Famous painter. Carla's father. |
| | Caroline | Crale | Carla's mother. aka: Caroline Spalding, Caro. |
| | Simon | | Carla's uncle and guardian. |
| | Louise | | Simon's wife. Carla's aunt and guardian. |
| | John | Rattery | Carla's fiance. |
| | | | BOOK 1 |
| 1 | Montague | Depleach | Counsel for the defense. |
| | Goerge | Mayhew | Lawyer. |
| | Elsa | Greer | Amyas's rich mistress. aka: Lady Elsa Dittisham. |
| | Blinkety | Blank | Amyas's former client. |
| | Humphrey | Rudolf | Prosecutor. |
| | Quentin | Fogg | Rudolph's junior counsel. |
| | Philip | Blake | Amyas's greatest friend. Stockbroker. |
| | Meredith | Blake | Philip's chemist brother. |
| | Angela | Warren | Caroline's half sister. |
| 2 | Avis | | Judge. |
| 3 | Jonathan | | The Crale's family lawyer. |
| | Alfred | Edmunds | George's managing clerk. |
| 4 | Caleb | Jonathan | The Crale family's old lawyer. |
| | Richard | Crale | Amyas's father. |
| | Enoch | Crale | Amyas's grandfather. |
| | Diana | Crale | Amyas's sister/ |
| 5 | | Hale | Police inspector. |
| | | Conway | Police. |
| | Andrew | Faussett | Amyas's doctor. |
| | Cecilia | Williams | Angela's governess. |
| | | Frere | Chief constable. |
| 7 | Mary | Lytton-Gore | Widowed woman acquainted with Meredith. |
| | | Cronshaw | Retired admiral acquainted with Meredith. |
| 8 | Edward | Dittisham | Elsa's husband. aka: Lord Dittisham. |
| | Arnold | Stevenson | Elsa's ex-husband. |
