| 1 | Hickey | Dewey | The narrator's acquaintance. |
| | Donald | Willson | Murdered. A Herald Publisher. |
| | Mrs. | Willson | Donald's wife. |
| | Bill | Quint | Organizer of I.W.W. |
| | Continental | Op | Protagonist. AKA: Henry Neill. |
| | Elihu | Willson | Donald's father. |
| | Noonan | | The chief of police. |
| | Max | Thaler | A gambler and gangster. AKA: Whisper. |
| | Lew | Yard | A loan shop owner. |
| | Pete | The Finn | A gangster. |
| 2 | Stanley | Lewis | Elihu's secretary. |
| | Keefer | | The senator. |
| | Lewis | | Stanley's daughter. Don's secretary. |
| 3 | Robert | Albury | Assistant cashier. |
| | Dinah | Brand | Thaler's girlfriend. |
| 4 | Dan | Rolff | Dinah's housemate. |
| 5 | McGraw | | Noonan's lieutenant. |
| 6 | Nick | | Thaler's friend. |
| | Jerry | Hooper | One of Thaler's friends. |
| 7 | Mr. | Dritton | The cashier. |
| | Biddle | | One of the policemen. |
| | Dart | | A young lawyer. |
| 9 | Bob | MacSwain | A former policeman. |
| | Tim | Noonan | Noonan's brother. Murdered. |
| | Ike | Bush | A fighter. AKA: Al Kennedy. |
| 11 | Myrtle | Jennison | The girl that Tim likes. |
| | Peak | Murry | One of the suspects in Tim's case. |
| 14 | Tom | Cook | Senator Keefer's son-in-law. |
| | Helen | Albury | Robert's sister. |
| 15 | Mickey | Linehan | Continental Op's colleague. |
| | Dick | Foley | Continental Op's colleague. |
| | Old | Man | Continental Op's boss. |
| 17 | Reno | Starkey | Lieutenant in Yard's gang. AKA: Oliver. |
| 22 | Charles Procter | Dawn | A criminal lawyer. |
| | Detective | Shepp | McGraw's detective. |
| | Vanaman | | Shepp's partner. |
| 23 | Hank | O'Marra | A member of Starkey's gang. |
| 24 | Ted | Wright | Whisper's friend. |
