The Big Sleep characters

Appears from the start

A private detective in Los Angeles, hired by the wealthy and ailing General Sternwood to stop a blackmailer targeting his younger daughter. Marlowe is observant, stubborn, and unwilling to abandon a case merely because his client has not told him everything.

Appears from the start

An elderly, severely ill oil millionaire who receives Marlowe in the overheated orchid house at his estate. He asks the detective to deal with Arthur Geiger's attempt to extort money over Carmen and also speaks with affection of Rusty Regan, his vanished son-in-law.

Appears from the start

General Sternwood's younger daughter, a beautiful and impulsive young woman whom Marlowe meets in the entrance hall. She behaves flirtatiously and childishly, and her involvement with Arthur Geiger is the immediate cause of Marlowe's employment.

Appears from the start

The Sternwood family's formal and capable butler. He receives Marlowe at the mansion, manages access to the general, and discreetly keeps the household functioning amid the family's troubles.

Also known as Mrs. Regan

First appears in chapter 2

General Sternwood's elder daughter and Rusty Regan's wife. Intelligent, poised, and direct, she questions Marlowe about why her father hired him and suspects that the investigation concerns her missing husband rather than Carmen's blackmailer.

First appears in chapter 3

A dealer in rare books whose expensive shop also serves a concealed, disreputable trade. His demand for payment from General Sternwood over Carmen places him at the center of Marlowe's first assignment.

First appears in chapter 3

The blonde clerk at Geiger's shop. She is guarded when Marlowe poses as a book collector and appears to understand that the shop's public business is a front for something else.

First appears in chapter 3

A detective in the district attorney's office and an old professional contact of Marlowe's. He gives Marlowe official information when he can and acts as a practical link between the private investigation and the police.

First appears in chapter 8

A polished nightclub owner and gambler who owns the house in which Geiger operated. He arrives while Marlowe is searching it and takes a cool, proprietary interest in the detective's questions about Geiger and Rusty Regan.

First appears in chapter 13

A small-time criminal connected to both Agnes and Geiger's illicit business. Marlowe tracks him down after evidence taken from Geiger's house begins circulating as a fresh means of blackmail.

First appears in chapter 15

Geiger's intensely loyal young companion. He follows the upheaval surrounding Geiger's death and acts violently against the man he believes responsible.

First appears in chapter 22

A police investigator assigned to missing-person cases. He tells Marlowe what the authorities have learned about Rusty Regan and explains why they are not convinced that Regan met with violence.

First appears in chapter 23

A slight, shabby criminal associate of Agnes who approaches Marlowe with information for sale. His devotion to Agnes makes him useful to her, while his unease around Eddie Mars's organization shows how dangerous the inquiry has become.

First appears in chapter 25

A ruthless gunman working for Eddie Mars. He pursues the trail leading toward Mars's missing wife and is prepared to use kidnapping and murder to prevent Marlowe from following it.

Also known as Silver-Wig

First appears in chapter 28

Eddie Mars's wife, whom police believe ran away with Rusty Regan. Marlowe instead finds her hidden under guard, a discovery that casts doubt on the accepted story of both disappearances.