Mr Shaitana
The host of the dinner party and eventual murder victim, Mr Shaitana invites four guests and four sleuths to a dinner party. He suspects each of the guests to have committed murder before. He is eventually found to be killed with one of his own weapons. He is preoccupied with holding knowledge of their prior murders over the heads of his guests whilst also flaunting his knowledge to the renowned detectives. He is not a popular man and in fact is feared and disliked by most but his parties are legendary and his dinners delicious which is why his invitations are welcomed.
He is devilish in demeanor and cultivates this himself, he is said to be a master of lighting and managed to seat himself wherever he will appear the most dramatic and frightening. He is highly manipulative and enjoys tormenting his guests, making him a somewhat unsympathetic victim.
Superintendant Battle
One of the best Scotland Yard detective, Battle portrays himself as stoic and carries around a poker face. He is one of the sleuths invited by Mr Shaitana. He generally seems heavy-handed and not particularly smart which is a demeanor he cultivates in order to put people at ease and to encourage criminals to let their guard down once they decide he is not a threat to their freedom. He is built like a battleship and is physically loud and almost clumsy. He is generous in including three non-police detectives in the murder investigation which indicates he cares more about solving crime than pedantically following protocol. He is a hard working detective with a sincere belief in justice.
Colonel Race
A suave and charming former Secret Service agent, who is about 50 years old. He is one of the sleuths invited by Mr Shaitana. He is well-respected and diplomatic which is a useful skill when questioning people about their friends and associates. He is upstanding and although not featured in the investigation as much as his fellow sleuths, discovers some pivotal information nonetheless.
Ariadne Oliver
A popular fiction writer, she is almost a mirror of Agatha Christie herself. She is always considered to be a tongue-in-cheek version of Christie's view of her own profession. Ariadne Oliveris one of the sleuths invited by Mr Shaitana. She offers the gateway he needs to start discussing the murders he believes some of his guests have committed as she is preoccupied with untraceable poisons, the weapon of choice in the majority of her novels. Similar to Agatha Christie she has created a recurring character, a fastidious European detective, although her protagonist cones from Finland rather than Belgium. Although she is rather excentric she is an intelligent sleuth and actually discovers some extremely important information about Anne Meredith. Her attention to detail in real life is far superior to her rather hit-and-miss detail in her novels. She finds crime solving exciting and loves to be part of the quartet of detectives at work on this case.
Hercule Poirot
The main protagonist in the Hercule Poirot series, he is a famed detective. He is one of the sleuths invited by Mr Shaitana. Poirot is a fastidious Belgian who prides himself on never being wrong, and this confidence in his own ability is what makes him certain that Mrs Lorrimer's confession is false. Poirot asks many questions that nobody else can fathom a reason for and delights in the dramatic announcement of guilt at the end of the investigation. He uses psychology rather than factual evidence as basis for his conclusions which serves to emphasize his intellect. He is offended by things that are out of place or aesthetically untidy and is able to compartmentalize individual conversations and observations as a result of his mental fastidiousness.
Dr. Roberts
A brilliant but aging doctor, he is very successful at his job. He is one of the guests invited by Mr Shaitana. He gives off a vaguely suspicious, shady air and is a front runner as a suspect. He had a geniality and cooperativeness that makes Battle suspicious. He is slightly arrogant and likes to use his medical knowledge as a smokescreen for dubious behavior. His profession gives him confidence to feel he will not be caught and likes to "blind with science" in lieu of an alibi.
Mrs Lorrimer
A rich and expert bridge player, she is 63 years of age but widowed long ago. She is one of the guests invited by Mr Shaitana. bridge is her passion and she tells her fellow dinner guests that she has started to refuse dinner invitations that do not include bridge. She is a decent, thoughtful woman who is genuine on her consideration of Anne Meredith's future. She is highly capable and meticulous and although Poirot believes she could commit murder he believes it would be pre-meditated and planned meticulously. The investigators cannot find a single person with anything negative to day about her.
Major Despard
A charming explorer and a sport hunter. He is one of the guests invited by Mr Shaitana. He has quite the reputation as an adventurer and attracts some highly questionable people in his adventures. He is handsome and attractive, catching the eye of both Anne Meredith and Rhoda Dawes whom he likes very much.
Anne Meredith
A young and beautiful woman of 25 years. She is one of the guests invited by Mr Shaitana. Her beauty and slightly timid demeanor make her a lethal murderer as murder is so opposite to the impression she gives to people. She is always on her guard and seems constantly nervous about being found out. She appears to have a degree of sociopathy as she has no feeling for her lifelong friend Rhoda, but just wants to get rid of her to protect herself. She is a dangerous woman who is all the more dangerous because she seems to be the antithesis of anything murderous.
Rhoda Dawes
A wealthy friend of Anne's, and also her housemate. She is frank and polite with a great zest for life and a daredevil, adventurous streak. She seems tougher and more resilient than Anne and is a solid, decent and giving character. She is a fan of Mea Oliver's books and seems excited to find herself thrust into the middle of this murder.
Mrs Luxmore
A woman whose husband died suspiciously.she claims to have been passionately involved with Despard but was in actual fact plying him with very unwelcome advances and he in fact considers her to be quite insane.
Miss Burgess
ªDr. Roberts' faithful secretary. Initially tight-lipped her desire to protect the doctor's reputation soon gets her tàlking and she is a mine of invaluable information about past patients.
Elsie Batt
A former maid of Mrs Craddock and a patient of Dr. Roberts. Invaluable in filling in information regarding the deaths of the couple.
Sergeant O'Connor
A tall and charming investigator, with a knack for getting stories from women for police investigations. He is the Adonis of Scotland Yard and is skilled at quickly ingratiating himself with people and getting them to talk without them realizing they are doing so.
