Cat Among the Pigeons characters

First appears in chapter 17

The Belgian detective who enters the case after a pupil from Meadowbank School comes to him with an extraordinary discovery. He must connect murders at the school with events in the distant kingdom of Ramat.

First appears in chapter 3

The distinguished founder and headmistress of Meadowbank, a girls' school known for educating the daughters of prominent families. Near retirement, she is considering who can preserve the institution she has built.

First appears in chapter 3

Miss Bulstrode's longtime colleague and one of Meadowbank's founders. Fiercely loyal to the school and its headmistress, she regards its traditions as the central achievement of her life.

First appears in chapter 3

A senior teacher at Meadowbank and a leading candidate to succeed Miss Bulstrode. Controlled, competent, and conventional, she appears well suited to maintain the school's established standards.

First appears in chapter 4

Meadowbank's new games mistress, an abrasive disciplinarian with a strong sense of her own authority. She keeps sports equipment in the pavilion and is willing to investigate disturbances there alone.

First appears in chapter 3

Miss Bulstrode's efficient new secretary, polished and capable in handling the school's correspondence and visitors. Her previous employment has given her broad experience beyond school life.

First appears in chapter 4

A practical pupil at Meadowbank whose tennis racket becomes mixed up with another girl's. She treats the exchange as a nuisance and does not initially understand why the racket matters.

First appears in chapter 4

Jennifer's observant friend at Meadowbank. More curious and imaginative than Jennifer, she notices changes in the tennis racket and refuses to dismiss the implications of what she finds.

First appears in chapter 5

Julia's widely travelled mother, whose decision to send her daughter to Meadowbank rests on her confidence in Miss Bulstrode. A face she once saw abroad later becomes important to the inquiry.

First appears in chapter 4

A royal pupil from Ramat sent to Meadowbank after political upheaval at home. Her status requires security and makes her presence at the school part of a wider diplomatic problem.

First appears in chapter 6

A young man placed at Meadowbank under cover as a gardener. He is investigating the international interests converging on the school and must conceal his official purpose from staff and pupils.

First appears in chapter 6

An intelligence officer concerned with the missing royal jewels from Ramat. He directs Adam Goodman's undercover work and later cooperates with Poirot.

Appears from the start

A British pilot and friend of Prince Ali Yusuf in Ramat. During the revolution, the prince entrusts him with a fortune in jewels and asks him to get them safely out of the country.

Appears from the start

The young ruler of Ramat, threatened by a revolution. He entrusts his hereditary jewels to his friend Bob Rawlinson as they prepare a desperate attempt to leave the country.