Clare Cavendish
Clare Cavendish is the novel's protagonist, a manipulative woman who hides her true character whenever she wants to achieve her goals. Cavendish is Peterson's ex-girlfriend. Cavendish witnessed Peterson's hit-and-run accident, where he died on the spot.
Cavendish claims to have seen Peterson alive in San Francisco two months later. Cavendish decides to hire Philip Marlowe to search for Peterson. However, Cavendish does not reveal to Marlowe that she had initially witnessed the death of Peterson.
Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe is an intelligent private investigator who is well-known in town. When Cavendish sees her ex-boyfriend alive in San Francisco, she approaches Marlowe to search for him. Marlowe follows all the leads given to him by Cavendish without any success. Marlowe goes the extra mile to interview everyone close to Peterson, but he still needs to find him.
Nico Peterson
Nico Peterson is a famous Hollywood agent who is hardworking and successful. Peterson is Cavendish's ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately, one day, Peterson is involved in a hit-and-run accident and dies instantly. Two months later, Cavendish sees him alive in San Francisco, and she starts an investigation to search for him.
Sgt Joe Green
Sgt. Joe Green is a homicide officer who is always skeptical about everything. When Marlowe approaches Sgt Joe, he expects him to help him search Peterson’s recent footsteps. However, Sgt. Joe is not serious about the case because he claims that Peterson cannot be alive.
Floyd Hanson
Floyd Hanson is the manager of the Cahuilla Club. Floyd is the first person to identify the corpse of Peterson when he is killed in front of the club. Marlowe tries to get more information about Peterson's death, but Floyd refuses to give more information. According to Floyd, the information he had given to the police officers was enough, and he had nothing to add.
