Echo Park characters

Appears from the start

An LAPD Open-Unsolved detective who has kept the Marie Gesto disappearance file close since 1993. When an arrested killer offers to confess to her murder, Bosch must test the account while confronting the possibility that his original investigation missed the chance to save later victims.

Appears from the start

Bosch's partner in the Open-Unsolved Unit. Rider helps evaluate a proposed confession and manage the political pressure around it, while watching Bosch's long personal investment in the Gesto case threaten his judgment.

Appears from the start

A young woman who vanished in 1993 after leaving a Los Angeles supermarket. Her car was found with groceries still inside, but her body was never recovered. The unsolved disappearance has remained one of Bosch's most persistent cases.

First appears in chapter 2

A man arrested after police find human remains in his van. Facing the death penalty, Waits offers to identify multiple victims and lead authorities to their remains, including Marie Gesto, in exchange for a life sentence.

First appears in chapter 2

A prosecutor and candidate for district attorney who controls the proposed agreement with Raynard Waits. O'Shea wants recoveries and cleared cases, but the timing of his campaign gives every decision a political consequence.

First appears in chapter 2

An investigator attached to the district attorney's office and the Waits negotiation. Olivas acts as an intermediary between prosecutors, detectives, and the prisoner during a process Bosch regards as vulnerable to manipulation.

First appears in chapter 3

Raynard Waits's defense attorney. Swann presents the offer to trade information about multiple killings for removal of the death penalty, and he controls much of the early access to what his client claims to know.

First appears in chapter 8

An FBI agent and profiler with whom Bosch worked during the hunt for the Poet. She helps assess Waits's behavior and claims, bringing experience with serial offenders as well as a personal connection Bosch has not resolved.

First appears in chapter 6

A man Bosch investigated in connection with Marie Gesto's disappearance in 1993. His access, movements, and interest made him important to the original case, but Bosch could not obtain the evidence needed to charge him.

First appears in chapter 7

Anthony Garland's wealthy and influential father. He used lawyers and connections to protect his son during the original Gesto inquiry, making the family a difficult target for detectives who lacked decisive physical evidence.

First appears in chapter 10

Bosch's former wife and the mother of his daughter, now living in Nevada as a professional poker player. Their renewed contact gives Bosch a family life that competes with the case he has been unable to release.

Also known as Maddie

First appears in chapter 10

Bosch and Eleanor Wish's daughter. Bosch is still learning how to be present for her while working a case that repeatedly draws him toward danger and away from ordinary plans.