A Pocket Full of Rye characters

Appears from the start

The wealthy head of a family-controlled financial firm. Abrasive in business and at home, he collapses after his morning tea, beginning an inquiry that reaches through his household.

Appears from the start

The Scotland Yard inspector assigned to Rex Fortescue's poisoning. Patient and methodical, he studies both the victim's business history and the uneasy family gathered at Yewtree Lodge.

First appears in chapter 4

Rex Fortescue's much younger second wife. Glamorous and openly dissatisfied, she carries on a private attachment outside her marriage and expects financial freedom.

Also known as Val Fortescue

First appears in chapter 3

Rex's elder son and a cautious executive in the family firm. He lives at Yewtree Lodge with his wife Jennifer and has a tense relationship with his more adventurous brother.

First appears in chapter 4

Percival's reserved wife, formerly a nurse. She has little affection for the ostentatious Fortescue way of life and watches the family conflicts from the margins.

Also known as Lance Fortescue

First appears in chapter 8

Rex's estranged younger son, recently returned from abroad with his wife. Charming, confident, and associated with risky ventures, he has been summoned home after the crisis.

First appears in chapter 8

Lance's warm and straightforward wife, whom he met abroad. New to the Fortescue family, she arrives at Yewtree Lodge with few preconceptions about its rivalries.

First appears in chapter 4

Rex's strong-willed daughter. Frustrated by her father's control over her money and her choice of husband, she has her own reasons to welcome a change in the family balance.

First appears in chapter 4

The highly efficient housekeeper at Yewtree Lodge. Calm under questioning and difficult to intimidate, she knows the household's routines and weaknesses.

First appears in chapter 4

A young parlourmaid at Yewtree Lodge who was once trained for domestic service by Miss Marple. Trusting and eager to improve herself, she has recently been excited by a romance.

Also known as Miss Marple

First appears in chapter 12

The elderly amateur detective who comes to Yewtree Lodge after learning of Gladys Martin's death. Her sense of responsibility toward the girl makes the case personal.

First appears in chapter 14

A former associate of Rex Fortescue in an African mining venture. His ruin and death left a grievance whose consequences may have followed the Fortescue family home.

First appears in chapter 7

A man romantically involved with Adele Fortescue. His relationship with the victim's wife gives Inspector Neele an obvious line of inquiry after the household deaths.