Nine Dragons characters

Appears from the start

An LAPD homicide detective whose investigation of a liquor-store killing becomes inseparable from the safety of his daughter in Hong Kong. Bosch knows the victim from an earlier case and treats that debt as personal, even before a threat against his family drives him outside his jurisdiction.

Appears from the start

An owner of Fortune Liquors in South Los Angeles, shot during an apparent robbery. He once helped Bosch during a murder investigation, and the detective remembers both the assistance and the dignity with which Li ran his store in a difficult neighborhood.

First appears in chapter 5

An LAPD detective with knowledge of Chinese gangs and language who is assigned to assist Bosch. He helps interpret the customs and possible triad connections around Fortune Liquors, while Bosch remains alert to the danger of relying on cultural assumptions instead of evidence.

First appears in chapter 10

A man linked to a Chinese criminal organization and to payments collected from businesses such as Fortune Liquors. Bosch regards him as a plausible source of pressure on John Li, but the evidence must still show whether that pressure included murder.

Appears from the start

Bosch's former wife, a former FBI agent now living in Hong Kong and earning her living as a poker player. She has raised their daughter Maddie for most of the girl's life and remains the parent responsible for her daily safety abroad.

Also known as Maddie

Appears from the start

Bosch and Eleanor's teenage daughter, living and attending school in Hong Kong. Bosch's recent discovery of her existence has grown into a loving but still developing relationship conducted largely across the Pacific.

First appears in chapter 41

A man in Eleanor's Hong Kong circle who helps Bosch navigate the city and search for Maddie. His local knowledge and willingness to enter dangerous places make him an important ally once official channels appear too slow.

First appears in chapter 7

John Li's adult son and a member of the family Bosch must question after the shooting. His position gives him knowledge of the store's business and his father's routines, while grief and family loyalty complicate the interview.

First appears in chapter 2

Bosch's regular homicide partner. The Fortune Liquors investigation begins within their detail, though the need for specialized gang knowledge brings David Chu into the center of Bosch's work.

First appears in chapter 3

A supervisor in Bosch's homicide chain of command. He expects Bosch to keep the Los Angeles murder investigation moving even as federal and international complications begin to pull the detective away from it.