| 1 | Guido | Brunetti | A detective superintendent in the Italian State Police. |
| | Paola | | Brunetti's wife. |
| | Patrizia | Fabbiani | Director at the
Bibliotheca Merula. |
| | Lorenzo | Vianello | An inspector. |
| | Foa | | A pilot. |
| | Martini | | An officer-in-charge of procurement. |
| | James | Cook | A British explorer and naval officer. |
| | Piero | Sartor | A guard at Merula library. |
| | Hernan | Cortes | Former governor of New Spain. |
| | Riccardo | | Sartor's acquaintance. |
| 2 | Joseph | Nickerson | An assistant professor of European History. |
| | Elisabetta M. | Albani | One of the benefactors of Merula library. |
| | Donatella | Falier | Brunetti's mother-in-law. |
| 3 | Aldo | Franchini | A regular visitor for three years at Merula library. |
| 4 | Jean | Harlow | An American actress. |
| | Giuseppe | Patta | Brunetti's direct supervisor. |
| | Elletra | | Patta's secretary. |
| | Gianni | | Contessa Elisabetta Morrosini-Albani's stepson. |
| | Orazio | Falier | Brunetti's father-in-law. |
| 5 | Raffi | | Paola's son. |
| | Chiara | | Paola's daughter. |
| | Augustine | | Paola's special friend. |
| | Luigi | Cadorna | An Italian general. |
| | Lieutenant | Scarpa | Patta's assistant. |
| 6 | Roberto | Dura | An assailant. |
| | Alvise | | Brunetti's colleague. |
| | Rotili | | Brunetti's acquaintance. |
| 8 | Giulio | | Brunetti's old friend. |
| | Gino | | Giulio's friend. |
| 9 | Vladimir | Nabokov | A Russian-American novelist and poet. |
| 10 | Galileo | | An Italian
astronomer, physicist and engineer. |
| | Aldus | Manutius | An Italian painter and humanist. |
| 11 | Emperor | Heliogabalus | A former Roman emperor. |
| | Henry | James | An American British author. |
| | Gaspar | Avila | A Portuguese photographer and designer. |
| | Nicolo | Liburnio | An author. |
| | Manuela | | A librarian. |
| | Marco | Polo | A Veetian merchant, explorer and writer. |
| 12 | Enrico | Franchini | Aldo's brother. |
| | Bocchese | | A head of the scientific team. |
| 13 | Pucetti | | Brunetti's colleague. |
| | Staffelli | | One of Brunetti's team. |
| | Rizzardi | | A pathologist. |
| 15 | Niccolo | Machiavelli | A 16th century Florentine philosopher. |
| | Francesco | Guicciardini | An Italian historian and statesman. |
| | Antonio | Gramsci | Former deputy of the Kingdom of Italy. |
| | Marcus T. | Cicero | A Roman statesman lawyer, philosopher, writer. |
| | Seneca | | A Stoic philosopher of ancient Rome. |
| | Sextus | Propertius | A Latin poet. |
| | Valerius | Flaccus | A 1st century Roman poet. |
| | Arrian | | A Greek historian, military commander and philosopher. |
| | Justinian | | A former emperor of Byzantine Empire. |
| | Gaius | Sallust | A Roman historian and politician. |
| | Marcus T. | Varro | A Roman polymath and prolific author. |
| | Titus M. | Plautus | A Roman playwright. |
| | Andreas | Gryphius | A German poet and playwright. |
| | Cornelius | Tacitus | A historian and politician. |
| | Gaius | Catullus | A Latin poet. |
| | Albius | Tibullus | A Latin poet and writer. |
| | Sophocles | | An ancient Greek tragedian. |
| | Adele | Marzi | Roberto Dura's ex-companion. |
| 16 | Anthony | Trollope | An English novelist and civil servant. |
| | Bruno | | Brunetti's acquaintance. |
| 19 | Claudia | Griffoni | Brunetti's colleague. |
| | Karl | Marx | A German philosopher. |
| | Sella | | Brunetti's acquaintance. |
| 20 | Dottor | Alvino | The director of the casino. |
| 21 | Flippo | D'Alessio | An athlete. |
| | Joseph | Nicolai | An automotive and motorcycle dealer. |
| | Joseph | Nicollet | A French geographer and astronomer. |
| 22 | Gina | | Sartor's wife. |
