Character guide

Mr. Blake

major

Also known as Mr. Blake of Second Avenue

A wealthy Second Avenue bachelor whose wife has vanished, he prowls the Bowery in grim silence, stopping ragged strangers as if they held the key.

Mr. Gryce

major

Also known as Gryce

The veteran detective who takes the Blake case with quiet authority, weighing a housekeeper's wild tale of whispered voices and a ladder against the plain facts.

Mrs. Daniels

supporting

The Blakes' trembling housekeeper, who paces Mr. Blake's door wringing her hands yet never dares knock, and whose strange behavior keeps the case alive.

The Girl

major

The vanished servant whose empty room, open window, and traces of struggle turn a household worry into a mystery the police cannot dismiss.

Mrs. Blake

major

Mr. Blake's missing wife, whose fate drives the search and whose portrait still hangs in the house, watching over every clue the detectives uncover.

The Lady

supporting

A striking woman who appears at the Charity Ball on a foreign gentleman's arm, her beauty now carrying a defiant edge that stops the detective cold.

Luttra

supporting

Also known as XI Luttra

A servant who vanishes from a wealthy household without a trace, Luttra leaves behind a bloodstain, a devoted housekeeper, and a mystery no one can explain.

Fanny

minor

Also known as the pretty Fanny

A pretty young woman, possibly a servant or acquaintance.

Countess De Mirac

supporting

Also known as The Countess De Mirac, De Mirac

An elegant European countess whose comings and goings at the Windsor House draw the uneasy attention of a man already shadowed by suspicion and dread.

Miss Evelyn Blake

supporting

Also known as Evelyn Blake, Evelyn

A pale, tight-lipped young woman of the Blake household whose halting answers about the missing servant suggest she knows far more than she will say.

Holman Blake

supporting

Also known as handsome Holman Blake, cousin Holman

The handsome cousin whose charm and proximity to the Blake family make him an intriguing figure in a household already shadowed by secrets and suspicion.

The Master of the House

minor

The male head of the household, possibly Mr. Blake.

Amy

minor

A female character, possibly a servant or relative.

Schoenmaker

supporting

Also known as the youngest Schoenmaker, Luttra Schoenmaker

The youngest Schoenmaker, bound by blood to a family of criminals yet torn by loyalty to a father whose vicious life she cannot save or abandon.

Thompson

minor

Also known as IV Thompson

A character who tells a story or provides information.

The Schoenmakers

supporting

Also known as the dreaded Schoenmakers, Those Schoenmakers

A family of hardened criminals whose name carries menace, they operate in shadows, using abduction and blackmail as tools of their trade.

Emily

minor

A female character, possibly a servant or acquaintance.

Cecilia

minor

A female character mentioned in the narrative.

Servants

minor

Generic household servants in the Blake home.

Madame Dudevant

minor

Also known as Madame

A French woman, possibly a historical allusion with narrative role.

Luttra Blake

minor

Also known as Blake

A member of the Blake family, possibly a relative.

Lulu Chittenden

minor

A young woman mentioned in the story.

Henry

minor

A male character, possibly a servant or relative.

Madame the Countess

minor

Also known as Madame

A titled woman, possibly the Countess De Mirac.