| General |
Adams | Officer in charge in Los Pinos Agency. |
| Studsy |
Burke | Clyde and Nick's common friend, Pigiron Club owner. |
| Nick |
Charles | Narrator and protagonist. |
| Nora |
Charles | Nick's wife. |
| Larry |
Crowley | Nick's friend, press agent. |
| Halsey |
Edge | Archaeologist, battle-axe collector. |
| Leda |
Edge | Halsey's wife. Aka: Tip. |
| Olga |
Fenton | The girl Chris secretly met. |
| Doctor |
Grant | Gilbert's doctor. |
| John |
Guild | Lieutenant in charge on the case. |
| Lieutenant |
Gunnison | Murdered police officer. |
| Elsie |
Hamilton | Nora's friend. |
| Mervin |
Holly | The elevator boy. |
| Margot |
Innes | Nora's friend. |
| Louise |
Jacobs | Hermann's secretary. |
| Christian |
Jorgensen | Mimi's new husband. |
| Mimi |
Jorgensen | Clyde's ex-wife. |
| Nancy |
Kane | One of Julia's names. |
| H. |
Lauter | Leader of the search party. |
| Herbert |
MacAulay | Clyde's father. |
| Walter |
Meany | The apartment house superintendent. |
| Otto |
Mears | Adams's companion. |
| Shep |
Morelli | Julia's lover, a gangster. |
| Albert |
Norman | Character mentioned. |
| Arthur |
Nunheim | The man who identified Julia's body. |
| Miriam |
Nunheim | Arthur's wife. |
| Mr. |
O'Brien | The new mayor. |
| Jack |
Oakie | Character mentioned. |
| Levi |
Oscant | One of Nick's friends. |
| Chief |
Ouray | The camp's leader. |
| Alfred G. |
Packer | Leader of the party. |
| Face |
Peppier | Julia's ex-boyfriend. |
| Alice |
Quinn | Harrison's wife. |
| Harrison |
Quinn | Nick's friend. |
| Georgia |
Rosewater | Christian/Victor's real wife. |
| Victor |
Rosewater | The man Clyde had trouble with. |
| John |
Schwartze | The fugitive. |
| Sheriff |
Sharpless | Laramie County sheriff, man who arrested Packer. |
| Sheriff |
Smith | Hinsdale County sheriff. |
| Rhoda |
Stewart | One of Julia's names. |
| Julia |
Wolf | Clyde's secretary, murdered. |
| Alice |
Wynant | Dorothy's aunt, Clyde's sister. |
| Clyde Miller |
Wynant | Dorothy's stepfather, missing. Aka: Mr. D.W.Q. |
| Dorothy |
Wynant | Clyde's daughter. Aka: Dorry. |
| Gilbert |
Wynant | Dorothy's brother. |
| Andy |
| One of Guild's companions. |
| Asta |
| Nick and Nora's dog. |
| Barlow |
| Carpenter, mistakenly shot. |
| Bell |
| One of Packer's men. |
| Caress |
| Cleaning and dyeing place owner. |
| Denis |
| Larry's companion. |
| Downey |
| Major. |
| Flint |
| One of Guild's men. |
| Hermann |
| Character mentioned. |
| Humphrey |
| One of Packer's men. |
| John |
| Julia's uncle. |
| Keyser |
| The Normandie's manager. |
| Mack |
| One of Morelli's companions. |
| Miller |
| One of Packer's men. |
| Noon |
| One of Packer's men. |
| Pete |
| Bartender. |
| Reynolds |
| The artist who discovered the remains of the five men. |
| Sparrow |
| Ex-convict. Aka: Jim Brophy. |
| Swan |
| One of Packer's men. |
