Marlowe is a private detective in his mid-thirties working in 1930s Los Angeles. He stands six feet tall, weighs 195 pounds, and possesses dark hair and brown eyes. Operating in a deeply corrupt city, he relies on a steady intake of whiskey and a defensive, cynical sense of humor to survive. Despite frequent physical assaults and intimidation from both criminals and the police, he maintains a strict personal code of ethics and prioritizes finding the truth over collecting his fee.

Mr. Jeeter is a ruthless, elderly millionaire who brags about surviving the Great Depression without losing any of his wealth. He contacts Marlowe to ostensibly protect his adopted son from a fortune-hunting girlfriend. Driven entirely by financial greed, he uses his fortune to manipulate those around him and shield himself from consequences.

Harriet is a well-dressed, intelligent woman perceived by the Jeeter family as a gold digger. She comes from old money, but after Mr. Jeeter ruined her father's business, she lost her standing. She openly admits her plan to marry Gerald out of a desire for payback against the older Jeeter.

Lou is a former casino owner who recently lost his business to a heavily connected rival. Seeking revenge, he plots to win a massive payout using a rigged roulette wheel at his enemy's establishment. He acts as a secret witness in a major political murder investigation.

Miss Glenn is Lou's red-haired companion and gambling accomplice. She plays an active role in his scheme to bankrupt a rival casino. Her loyalties appear highly flexible as the fallout from their gambling night turns violent.

Frank is a powerful political fixer deeply entrenched in Los Angeles municipal corruption. He manipulates city contracts, orders assassinations of uncooperative public officials, and operates above the law. He uses blackmail and physical coercion to bend others to his will.

Kathy is a tall, sad-eyed blonde and former policewoman who lost her badge after marrying a check forger. She now runs a hotel cigar concession to make ends meet. She hires Marlowe to act as a go-between to secure a twenty-five-thousand-dollar insurance reward.

Carol is Rush Madder's partner, but she proves far more lethal than the crooked lawyer. She is a ruthless sociopath who utilizes severe physical torture and lethal gunplay to extract information and eliminate anyone standing between her and a payday.

Copernik is a corrupt, glory-hungry police detective. He openly uses racial slurs against his partner and is desperate to secure a newspaper feature portraying himself as a hero. He is perfectly willing to fabricate official reports and threaten witnesses with death to protect his fabricated public image.

Lola is a wealthy woman desperately trying to recover a sentimental pearl necklace given to her by a deceased pilot. She is unaware of her husband's infidelities and wholly naive regarding the true value of her cherished jewelry, making her highly vulnerable to blackmailers.

Gerald is the spoiled playboy stepson of Mr. Jeeter. He expects to inherit five million dollars from his mother's trust fund when he turns twenty-eight. He ignores his family's disapproval of his romantic choices and recklessly accumulates heavy gambling debts.

George works as Mr. Jeeter's personal driver. He functions as a fiercely loyal henchman, willing to carry out violent acts to serve his employer's interests and protect the old man's wealth.

Marty is a professional local gambler who operates on a strict mathematical percentage rather than brute force. He holds fifty thousand dollars in gambling notes from Gerald Jeeter and maintains a protective attitude toward Harriet.

Canales is a wealthy gambling operator who pushed Lou Harger out of business by bribing local law enforcement. He utilizes rigged equipment to guarantee his house advantage but eventually hits his limit regarding how much political corruption he is willing to tolerate.

Tom is a young, ordinary cab driver pulled into a violent criminal dispute when he accepts payment to temporarily swap vehicles with a gambler. The decision puts him and his family directly in the crosshairs of local thugs.

Bernie is a special investigator attached to the district attorney. Unlike the majority of law enforcement personnel in the city, he is willing to hear Marlowe out and provide tactical assistance when the detective is falsely accused of a crime.

Peeler is a cocaine addict and former inmate who rents a room from Kathy Horne. During a stint in Leavenworth prison, he learned the secret location of a famous cache of stolen pearls, a piece of information that makes him a target.

Rush is a corrupt, ambulance-chasing attorney looking for a quick payout. He operates a low-level legal practice focused on building fake alibis. He teams up with a much more dangerous partner to track down the stolen Leander pearls.

Sunset is an acquaintance of Peeler Mardo who travels to Washington State to cut himself in on the pearl heist. He forms a highly unstable alliance with Marlowe to outmaneuver their heavily armed competitors.

Wally is an elderly former convict who successfully robbed a mail train of the famous Leander pearls twenty years ago. Having served his time, he now lives a quiet, secluded life in the Pacific Northwest obsessing over his goldfish aquariums.

Hattie is Wally's loyal wife, living with him in their secluded cottage. She fiercely protects her husband's quiet retirement and proves to be an excellent actress capable of handling herself when violence breaches her home.

Al is a bitter ex-convict who served time after being sold out by an associate. Upon spotting the man who betrayed him walking into a local bar, he takes immediate, lethal revenge, forcing him to tie up loose ends by eliminating the witnesses.

Waldo is a small-time thief and swindler operating out of Marlowe's apartment building. He specializes in double-dealing, currently running simultaneous blackmail operations against a married couple for completely separate reasons.

Ybarra is a quiet, highly competent Mexican police detective. He stoically endures his partner's racial insults while doing the actual intellectual labor required to process a crime scene. He recognizes Marlowe's competence and intervenes when his partner's corruption spirals out of control.

Frank is Lola's two-timing husband. He carries on an affair with a Russian woman and employs armed men to retrieve incriminating receipts from a blackmailer to keep his finances intact ahead of a planned divorce.

Eugénie is a tall, dark-haired Russian woman carrying on an affair with Frank Barsaly. She drives an expensive Packard purchased by Frank, leaving a paper trail of receipts that exposes their relationship to extortion.