| Josephine | Banks | Roddy Grieve's election agent. |
| Sara | Bone | One of Roddy's political opponents. |
| Peter | Brent | The Scottish officer representative. |
| Valerie | Briggs | One of Mr. Robertson's staff. |
| Pa | Broon | Sammy's teddy bear. |
| Gordie | Burns | The Bellman's regular. |
| Morris Gerald | Cafferty | The mobster Rebus had sent to prison. Aka: Big Ger. |
| Bryce | Callan | Big Ger's successor. A gangster. Aka: Mr. Big. |
| Donald | Camell | A film director. |
| Alec | Carmoodie | MI5. One of the members of PPLC. |
| David | Carnegie | Sandra's son. |
| Sandra | Carnegie | Siobhan's companion. A rape victim. |
| Pauline | Carnett | Rebus's contact at National Criminal
Intelligence Service. |
| Colin | Carswell | Linford's boss. Assistant chief constable. |
| Siobhan | Clarke | One of Rebus's associates. |
| Dean | Coghill | The man who built the basement of Queensberry House. |
| Meg | Coghill | Dean's wife. |
| Billie | Collins | Roddy's first wife. |
| Harry | Connors | John Hicks's co-worker. |
| Hugh | Cordover | Lorna's husband. A rock star. |
| Lorna | Cordover | Roddy's sister. A fashion model. |
| Richard | Cordover | Hugh's brother. A lawyer. |
| Richie | Cordover | Hugh's brother. |
| Bob | Cowan | The interviewee. |
| Dr. | Curt | The post-mortem doctor. |
| Joe | Dickie | One of the members of PPLC. |
| Joseph | Dickie | The detective sergeant. The informant. |
| James | Douglas | The duke's son. Earl of Drumlanrig. |
| Rachel | Drew | The lady-in-charge of the hostel. Mr. Mackie's acquaintance. |
| Roy | Frazer | Bill's partner. |
| Prof | Gates | Dr. Curt's partner. The fiscal depute. |
| David | Gilfillan | The man who works at Historic Scotland. |
| John | Graham | Barry's assistant. |
| Peter | Grief | Roddy and Billie's son. |
| Alasdair | Grieve | The vanished Grieve's son. |
| Allan | Grieve | Roddy's father. |
| Cammo | Grieve | Roddy's brother. A politician. |
| Roddy | Grieve | An investment analyst. Murdered. Aka: Roderick David Grieve. |
| Seona | Grieve | Roddy's wife. |
| Hamish | Hall | Roddy's press officer. |
| Rod | Harken | The arresting officer. |
| Lord | Hatton | The original owner of Queensberry House. |
| John | Hicks | One of the men who worked in Queensberry. |
| Robert | Hill | Cafferty's co-prisoner and friend. Aka: Rab Hill. |
| Grant | Hood | Rebus's associate. One of the members of PPLC. |
| Nic | Hughes | Jerry's friend. A rapist. |
| Barry | Hutton | John Hicks's former co-worker. Bryce's nephew. |
| Millie | Jenkins | Billie's student. |
| Jack | Kirkwall | The man who built Queensberry House. |
| Peter | Kirkwall | Jack's son. |
| Conor | Leary | The reverend. |
| Derek | Linford | The detective inspector. |
| Jayne | Lister | Jerry's wife. |
| Jerry | Lister | Jayne's husband. Nic's friend. |
| John Michael | Lorimer | A criminal. |
| Christopher | Mackie | The man who commited suicide. |
| Blair | Martine | Freddy's solicitor. |
| Dod | McCarthy | John Hicks's co-worker. |
| Hugh | McDiarmid | A poet who writes a poem to Alicia. Aka: Christopher Murray Grieve. |
| C. Arthur | Milligan | A big defence solicitor. Aka: The Big C. |
| Naomi | Mitchison | One of Allan's colleagues. |
| Gwen | Mollison | One of Roddy's political opponents. |
| Edwin | Muir | One of Allan's colleagues. |
| Bill | Nairn | The assistant governor. |
| Big | Po | A doorman from pubs and clubs. Rebus's
acquaintance. |
| Billie | Pryde | The detective who interviewed Lorna. |
| Duke of | Queensbery | The secretary of state. |
| Alicia | Rankeillor-Grieve | Roddy's mother. A painter. |
| Gerry | Reagan | Owner of seismic storage. |
| John | Rebus | Protagonist. Aka: Strawman, Monkey Man. |
| Sammy | Rebus | Rebus's daughter. |
| Mr. | Robertson | The bank manager. |
| George | Samuels | Mr. Robertson's predecessor. |
| Professor | Sendak | The head of forensic pathology at Glasgow University. |
| Hi-Ho | Silvers | A detective sergeant. One of Rebus's associates. |
| Gerald | Sithing | Mackie's close friend. The leader of the knights of Rosslyn. |
| John | Smith | Josephine's former boss. |
| Miss | Stanley | A social security agent. |
| Dr. | Talbot | Mr. Mackie's doctor. |
| Gill | Templer | The chief inspector. Siobhan's mentor. |
| Marcia | Templewhite | Former health board worker. |
| Margaret | Thatcher | Former Prime Minister of U.K. |
| Archie | Ure | One of Roddy's political opponents. |
| Isla | Ure | Archie's wife. |
| Matthew | Vanderhyde | Allan's friend. |
| Farmer | Watson | Rebus's boss. The detective chief superintendent. |
| The | Weasel | Big Ger's assistant. |
| Cameron | Whyte | Ure's solicitor. |
| Ellen | Wylie | One of Rebus's associates. |
| Bert | | John Hicks's co-worker. |
| Catriona | | Nic's ex-girlfriend. Bryce Callan's relative. Aka: Cat. |
| Claverhouse | | A police officer from Scottish Crime Squad. |
| Desiderata | | Mackie's ex-girlfriend. Aka: Dezzi. |
| Doc | | Rebus's drinking partner. |
| Dougie | | The man who runs the city mortuary. |
| Eck | | The chef. |
| Eddie | | John Hicks's co-worker. |
| Frankie | | Alasdair's business partner. |
| Gordon | | Lorna's suitor. |
| Houton | | The Bellman's owner. |
| Jimmy | | George's friend. |
| Marlene | | One of the archaeologists. |
| Ormiston | | A police officer from Scottish Crime Squad. |
| Paul | | A vinyl dealer. |
| Rhona | | Rebus's former wife. |
| Salty | | Rebus's drinking partner. |
| Tam | | John Hicks's co-worker. |
| Terry | | John Hicks's co-worker. |
| Yvonne | | Cat's friend. |
