| PRO | Emily | Simpson | Victim. |
| | Lucy | Bellringer | Miss Simpson's friend. |
| | Mrs. | Beadle | Bellringer's neighbor. |
| | | | PART ONE |
| 1 | Sergeant | Troy | Police sergeant. |
| | Tom | Barnaby | Detective chief inspector. Protagonist. |
| | Trevor | Lessiter | Simpson's GP. |
| 2 | Joyce | Barnaby | Tom's wife. |
| | Cully | Barnaby | Tom's daughter. |
| | Terry | Bazely | The woman that Emily spoke to before she died. |
| | Mr. | Wainwright | Terry's director. |
| | Wellington | | A cat. |
| 3 | Dr. George | Bullard | Barnaby's doctor friend. |
| | Dennis | Rainbird | The funeral director. |
| 4 | Lady | Preddicott | Employer of Troy's mother. |
| 5 | Mrs. | Sweeney | A pie seller. |
| | Jake | | Miss Simpson's former student. |
| | | | PART TWO |
| 1 | Barbara | Lessiter | Trevor's second wife. |
| | Alan | Cater | The man Barbara hooked up with. |
| | Rupert | Winstanley | The man who paid Barbara to abort her child. |
| | Judy | Lessiter | Trevor's daughter. |
| 2 | Mrs. | Holland | Trevor's housekeeper. |
| 3 | Mrs. | Quine | Miss Simpson's cleaner. |
| | David | Whitely | Katherine Lacey's farm manager. |
| | Katherine | Lacey | Daughter of Simpson's former student. |
| | Phyllis | Cadell | Henry's sister-in-law. |
| | Henry | Trace | David's employer. Katherine's
fiancé. |
| | Michael | Lacey | Katherine's brother. |
| | Mr. | Hollingsworth | A college professor. |
| | Bella | | Henry's former wife. AKA: Beatrice Trace. |
| | Benjy | | Katherine's dog. |
| | Robert | Trayce | Henry's ancestor. |
| | Ismelda | | Robert's wife. |
| 4 | Iris | Rainbird | Dennis's mother. |
| | Nanny | Sharpe | The Lacey's nanny. |
| | Gerald | Lacey | Katherine and Michael's father. |
| | Madelaine | Lacey | Katherine and Michael's mother. |
| 5 | Lisa | Dawn | Mrs. Quine's daughter. |
| | Annabella | | The mystery woman. |
| | Norah | Whitely | David's ex wife. |
| 8 | Krystal | | Dr. Lessiter's special friend. |
| | | | PART THREE |
| 3 | Brierley | | The policewoman Mrs. Sweeney called. |
| 4 | Tom | Keating | A successful forger. |
| 7 | Moffatt | | The inspector. |
| 9 | Bateman | | The custody's sergeant. |
