The Narrator

Noonan

Noonan, the corrupt police chief, and the Narrator are locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse, each trying to outmaneuver the other in the violent power struggle of Personville.

Dan Rolff

Dan Rolff, a morphine-addicted and disillusioned former doctor, serves as a reluctant and often resentful informant for the Narrator, bound by a mix of fear and grudging respect.

Reno Starkey

Reno Starkey, a ruthless gangster, and the Narrator are professional adversaries who engage in a tense, violent competition for control of the city's underworld.

Charles Proctor Dawn

Charles Proctor Dawn, a shady lawyer and fixer, interacts with the Narrator as a wary professional contact, providing information while protecting his own interests.

McGraw

McGraw, a newspaper editor, works with the Narrator as a source of information and a reluctant ally in the fight against corruption.

Pete the Finn

Pete the Finn, a powerful bootlegger and gang leader, is a direct enemy of the Narrator, representing one of the major criminal factions he seeks to destabilize.

Helen Albury

Helen Albury, the daughter of a local power broker, shares a flirtatious and tense romantic undercurrent with the Narrator, though their relationship is complicated by her family's criminal ties.

Donald Willsson

Donald Willsson, the murdered reformist newspaper publisher, hired the Narrator, making their relationship that of a client and operative, cut short by his death.

Ike Bush

Ike Bush, a thuggish enforcer for the criminal underworld, is a violent antagonist who frequently clashes with the Narrator.

Peak Murry

Peak Murry, a gangster and associate of Reno Starkey, is a hostile figure who opposes the Narrator's efforts to clean up the city.

Young Albury

Young Albury, Helen's brother, is a minor acquaintance of the Narrator, providing occasional local color and background information.

Al Kennedy

Al Kennedy, a private detective and ally, works alongside the Narrator as a fellow operative in the dangerous environment of Personville.

Red Harvest

The Continental Op who arrives in Personville and becomes embroiled in the town's corruption.

I: A Woman in Green and a Man in Gray

Arrives in Personville, meets Mrs. Willsson, learns of Donald Willsson's murder, and gathers information from Bill Quint.

II: The Czar of Poisonville

Investigates Donald Willsson's murder, interviews Elihu Willsson and the secretary.

IV: Hurricane Street

The Continental Op; he questions Dinah about the murder and the certified check, and deduces the killer's identity.

V: Old Elihu Talks Sense

Arrives at Elihu Willsson's house after a late-night summons; negotiates the contract to clean up Personville.

VI: Whisper's Joint

Acts as a go-between for Noonan and Thaler, gains Thaler's trust, and escapes with him.

VII: That’s Why I Sewed You Up

Manipulates young Albury into confessing, certifies the check, and declares his intent to use the money to clean up Poisonville.

VIII: A Tip on Kid Cooper

Writes reports, survives an assassination attempt, and defiantly declares war on Poisonville.

IX: A Black Knife

Spreads the rumor about Ike Bush taking a dive, manipulates betting odds, and later warns Dinah Brand.

X: Crime Wanted—Male or Female

Leaves building, joins Dinah and Thaler, discusses plans to clean up Poisonville, and knocks out Dan Rolff after being shot at.

XI: The Swell Spoon

Listens to Dinah Brand's account of Tim Noonan's murder and later visits Myrtle Jennison in the hospital to obtain a signed statement.

XII: A New Deal

Hunts down MacSwain, brings him to Noonan, and secures a confession about Tim Noonan's dying words.

XIII: —$200.10—

The narrator is ambushed by Thaler, negotiates with Dinah, and ultimately captures Thaler after a violent struggle.

XIV: Max

Captures Whisper, interrogates MacSwain, and returns him to Noonan, feeling increasingly like a native of Poisonville.

XV: Cedar Hill Inn

Directs the operation, joins Noonan's raid on Cedar Hill Inn.

XVI: Exit Jerry

Investigates the bank robbery with Noonan, returns to his hotel, interacts with Dinah Brand, and considers the implications of recent events.

XVII: Reno

Narrates the chapter; orchestrates the frame of Max Thaler, hides with Dinah, and helps Reno escape.

XVIII: Painter Street

Returns to town, searches Dinah's place, sets up surveillance on Painter Street, receives a telegram from the Old Man, and meets with Noonan to discuss the killings.

XIX: The Peace Conference

Orchestrates the peace conference, exposing Noonan's schemes and manipulating the factions against each other.

XX: Laudanum

Confesses to feeling 'blood-simple' and corrupted by Personville, admitting he now enjoys planning deaths.

XXI: The Seventeenth Murder

Wakes from a dream to find himself holding the murder weapon over Dinah Brand's body; wipes the scene and seeks an alibi from Reno Starkey.

XXII: The Ice Pick

Questioned by McGraw about Dinah Brand's murder; meets with lawyer Charles Proctor Dawn; learns of Dan Rolff's escape and Pete the Finn's men becoming special police.

XXIII: Mr. Charles Proctor Dawn

Discovers Dawn's body, takes evidence, and interrogates Helen Albury.

Wanted

Wanted for murder, hiding out, and plotting with Reno.

XXV: Whiskeytown

Carries the bomb-filled valise, participates in the attack, and escapes through alleys after the ambush.

XXVI: Blackmail

Confronts Elihu Willsson, blackmails him with love letters, refuses the chief of police job, and later theorizes about the murder of Dinah Brand.

XXVII: Warehouses

Leads the search for Whisper's warehouse, confronts a night watchman, and later flees to Ogden after the events.