The Hard Way characters

Appears from the start

A former investigator and major in the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division, seven years removed from military service.

Appears from the start

The head of Operational Security Consultants and John Gregory's employer. He urgently wants a direct account from the witness who saw the company Mercedes removed.

First appears in chapter 2

Edward Lane's missing wife, introduced through a photograph after he explains that she disappeared the previous morning.

Appears from the start

Edward Lane's executive vice president and a retired British Army SAS sergeant. He locates Jack Reacher after the Mercedes is removed and escorts him to Lane to give an account of what he saw.

Appears from the start

A former Navy SEAL serving among Edward Lane's military veterans.

Appears from the start

A military veteran in Edward Lane's private-security group.

Appears from the start

A military veteran serving in Edward Lane's private-security group.

Appears from the start

One of the military veterans assembled by Edward Lane during the search for his missing family.

Appears from the start

One of Edward Lane's private-security veterans, present when Reacher is recruited into the apparent kidnapping case.

First appears in chapter 2

Edward Lane's former wife, whose earlier disappearance may parallel Kate's.

First appears in chapter 3

Kate Lane's eight-year-old daughter from her first marriage. Her failure to return from a shopping trip with Kate turns the case into the apparent abduction of both mother and child.

First appears in chapter 3

The former-SAS driver assigned to Kate Lane and her daughter. He vanishes with them and their vehicle, making his unexplained absence part of the apparent kidnapping.

First appears in chapter 5

An unidentified man who rents and uses the otherwise empty Sixth Avenue observation apartment. He communicates in writing and appears unable to speak, so the investigation concludes that a separate partner handled the telephone calls.

First appears in chapter 4

A private investigator and former FBI special agent who led the inquiry into Anne Lane's disappearance. She joins Reacher in comparing that unresolved case with the apparent abduction of Kate and Jade.

First appears in chapter 5

A former Recon Marine whom Lane left behind after an operation in Burkina Faso. Reacher and Pauling find him alive but gravely disabled after years of captivity, and his ability to speak rules him out as the silent observer they seek.

First appears in chapter 5

Clay James Hobart's sister and caregiver. She spent years pressing officials for information about him, giving investigators reason to consider her possible involvement while they examine grievances against Lane.

First appears in chapter 6

A source from the earlier Anne Lane investigation whose surveillance photographs help Reacher and Pauling trace Dee Marie Graziano's visits to Lane's home and the Hamptons before Kate disappears.

First appears in chapter 7

A British resident and former member of Lane's team. His empty apartment contains a blacked-out bedroom that appears to have been prepared to confine Kate and Jade, making him the investigation's principal new lead.

First appears in chapter 8

Susan Jackson's husband, Graham Taylor's brother-in-law, and a co-owner of Grange Farm in Norfolk. The farm becomes Reacher and Pauling's destination after they trace Taylor's British contact.

First appears in chapter 8

Graham Taylor's sister, Anthony Jackson's wife, and a co-owner of Grange Farm. Her family connection makes the Norfolk property a likely refuge for Taylor.

First appears in chapter 8

The eight-year-old daughter of Susan and Anthony Jackson. She belongs to the family at Grange Farm, where investigators believe Graham Taylor has sought shelter.

First appears in chapter 9

The local postmaster near Grange Farm. He confirms that Graham Taylor sent a thin packet secured with rubber bands to a hotel in New York.