Marta
Marta plays a very vital part it part in the movie because she creates an alliance with the detective and ultimately helps him solve the crime. She is a Cuban woman whose mother is an illegal immigrant; this is a problem because when she collects the money people may dig into her past. When she doesn't tell the truth she will throw up, she does that because she thinks it's terrible to lie. Though she is not part of the family, they treat her like their own.
Harlan
Harlan is an old and wealthy man that owns a book writing company that is very successful. Though he is dead most of the movie, he is in a lot of flashbacks and plays an important role. He is a very intelligent and creative man responsible for the creation of dozens of beloved books. Not only that, but he is also an incredibly caring, thoughtful, and empathetic man who helps Marta in her time of need.
Ransom
Though Ransom is not in the movie a lot, he is ultimately responsible for the demise of Harlan. Ransom is a very intelligent man and carefully plans everything out. He is also very enigmatic and good at lying. Threw out the movie he was portrayed as a man that wanted to help solve the murder but was ultimately throwing them off the trail.
