James Bond
James Bond is an agent working with the 00 unit of the British Secret Service. He is a dedicated agent who values his job enough to agree to a two week stay at Shrublands health farm when his job is made contingent to his stay. Initially resistant to the paltry sustenance and schedule of treatments he has to concede that he has never felt better in his life, although reverts back to his smoking, martini-drinking and three square meals a day once his new assignment - finding two stolen atomic bombs - is given. Bond is conscientious and reluctant to give updates to his superiors unless he is sure of their accuracy which is why he felt that he did not want to give too much information during this particular job as most of his conclusions were based on his hunches and what was most likely given the circumstances.
Bond is popular with women and his rather obvious come-ons are delivered with enough charm to be successful. He is handsome but in a dangerous, rough way. He cannot meet a young woman without at least taking her for lunch. However his affection for Domino seems genuine and he feels a degree of responsibility for her wellbeing.
Usually a step ahead of the criminals, Bond is uncharacteristically out-manouvered in this novel as he allows Largo to trap him underwater and it is only Domino who manages to save him.
Felix Leiter
Felix is Bond's equivalent at the C.I.A. and although pleased to work with his longtime friend again is none too happy at being given what he sees as the soft assignment at a resort in the Caribbean. He is not a good tourist, hates the food and feels that he is being ripped off at every meal. A true friend and dedicated agent, Felix does not let his missing hand prevent him from participating in every part of the mission and has resourcefully created a swim fin for his hand to cover the hook.
Emilio Largo
Larger than life, Largo is a man of style and flair who enjoys playing in every continent and flaunting his wealth. Hailing from Italy, he is Blofeld'ssecobd-in-command within SPECTRE and a tually in equal command of the operation,considered to be the expert in the field. His cover story, that of a playboy and millionaire treasure hunting in the Bahamas and partying on his mega-yacht, the Disco Volante, is flawless and so convincing that his being the kidnapper of the bombs is still a matter of guesswork and hunch playing on Bond and Leiter's part right up until the actual moving of the bomb.
Although charming, genial and generous outwardly Largo is actually a psychopath who enjoys killing people and inflicting pain on them, preferring to torture them himself rather than have someone do it for him.
Dominetta Vitali
Domino, as she is known, is an actress who spends her time as the kept woman of one millionaire after another. In Nassau with Largo, she lives on the yacht with him and spends her days lying on private beaches and diving using an aqualung. She is beautiful in a Brigitte Bardot kind of way with hair that tumbles effortlessly from underneath her straw hat, contrived in a way that seems accidental. Domino adores her brother and on finding out he has been killed by Largo is fueled by so much rage and hatred for him that she is able to overcome terrible torture at his hand and find the inner strength to escape the yacht and ultimately kill him, saving Bond's life in the process.
Ernst Blofeld
Blofeld is the criminal mastermind behind SPECTRE and a number of terrorist organizations before it, also known just by their acronym. SPECTRE stands for The Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion, all of which Blofeld excels at. He is a pale, obese man who takes up an enormous amount of space but who can move exceptionally quickly if he wants to kill an enemy. Having profited during the war selling secrets to all sides he commanded powerful and criminal men from every nation and made alot of money doing so, now raising the stakes and holding both America and Britain to ransom with stolen atomic bombs and the threat of using them if his extortion demands are not met. Blofeld is not apprehended with the rest of SPECTRE but lives to fight another day. He fits typically into the mould of Bond's arch-enemies as the all seem to be dastardly sociopathic and be almost too horrific in appearance to be anything but the criminal mastermind
Giuseppe Petracchi
Petacchi had been highly decorated as a pilot during the war and at only eighteen years old was one of only a few Italian aurmen allowed to handle the German Focke-Wulf 200 aircraft. During his twenties he was seconded to NATO and was a member of the Advanced Strikibg Force but in his thirties his passion for flying began to wane and he looked for more of the fiber things in life, such as Rolex watches and flashy sports cars. His route out of NATO came via SPECTRE who offered him a large sum of money and a new identity in return for stealing the atomic bombs and detonator and hijacking the flight. He accepted but did not for see the double-cross coming and was killed on Largo's orders after landing the plane successfully. Petacchi is the long lost brother Domino misses and his murder is what precipitates her working for Bond against Largo.
M
M is Bond's commanding officer and head of the 00 team of agents. He reports directly to the Prime Minister and the Queen, but his loyalty lies with his men and he always has their backs even if a mission has gone awry. He is given to obsessions about one new fad after another and is almost evangelical about the benefits of a stay at Shrublands.
Count Lippe
The Count is a flashy and lecherous fellow guest at Shrublands who comes to Bond's attention because of the tattooed sign on his wrist that he is anxious to keep hidden; it turns out to be the mark of membership of a criminal organization in Macao. His job with SPECTRE is to mail the letters to the American and British governments but his feud with Bond delays this process and his thirst for revenge is what ultimately gets him killed on Blofeld's orders.
Miss Moneypenny
One of the more famous characters in the James Bond novels, Moneypenny is M's very capable secretary who is madly in love with Bond and deeply envious because of the close proximity in which they work.
