The Overlook characters

Appears from the start

An LAPD detective whose return to the department has put him back inside the institution he often distrusts. Now working homicide with a new partner, he treats the execution-style death of a medical specialist as a murder case even when federal agents recast it as an urgent terrorism investigation.

Appears from the start

Bosch's younger partner in the LAPD homicide detail. He is conscientious and eager to establish himself, but the speed of the case and Bosch's habit of acting before explaining leave him struggling to remain an equal participant.

Appears from the start

A medical physicist found shot to death at a Mulholland Drive overlook. His work gives him authorized access to radioactive cesium, making both his profession and his movements before the murder central to the investigation.

First appears in chapter 3

Stanley Kent's wife, found bound at the couple's home. She reports that masked intruders used her to force her husband to remove radioactive material from secure storage, an account that turns a homicide inquiry into a race to locate the cesium.

First appears in chapter 3

An FBI agent and former intimate of Bosch who previously worked with him on the pursuit of the Poet. She joins the federal response to the missing cesium and must balance their shared history against an investigation in which their agencies are competing for control.

First appears in chapter 4

The senior FBI agent directing the federal side of the case. He treats the stolen radioactive source as a national-security threat and restricts the LAPD's access when he believes ordinary homicide procedure could slow the search.

Also known as Maddie

Appears from the start

Bosch's teenage daughter, who lives with her mother in Las Vegas. She is not involved in the investigation, but Bosch's growing place in her life gives him a personal future beyond the cases that have long consumed him.

Appears from the start

Bosch's former wife and Maddie's mother, now living in Las Vegas. Her earlier career with the FBI and her difficult history with Bosch shape the family relationship he is trying to maintain after learning that he had a daughter.

First appears in chapter 2

A command officer overseeing Bosch's work. He expects the homicide team to protect the LAPD's interests without losing sight of the immediate danger created by the missing radioactive material.