Superintendent Battle, a top detective from Scotland Yard who likes to project a professional image of stolidity, with a wooden expression
Colonel Race, a debonair Secret Service agent, about 50 years old
Ariadne Oliver, writer of popular detective fiction, very reminiscent of Agatha.
Hercule Poirot, the famed private detective
The Four Suspects
Dr Roberts, a successful physician, bright but showing signs of age
Mrs Lorrimer, a well-to-do, expert bridge player, long widowed, 63 years old
Major Despard, a dashing explorer and sport hunter
Anne Meredith, a pretty young woman, 25 years old
Other characters
Rhoda Dawes, Anne's wealthy friend and flatmate, lively, direct and polite
Mrs Luxmore, whose husband died in suspicious circumstances
Miss Burgess, loyal secretary of Dr Roberts
Elsie Batt, former parlourmaid of Mrs Craddock, who had been a patient of Dr Roberts
Sergeant O'Connor, extremely handsome and tall, with a good way of getting stories from women for police investigations
The Victim
Mr Shaitana, a collector of all rare things, including murderers; very rich and mysterious (ironically, the name Shaitana means a 'the naughty one' in Hindi and is sometimes used to allude to the devil, being a cognate of Satan).
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