Sherlock Holmes
A brilliant and eccentric "consulting detective," Holmes is a rather enigmatic figure. His knowledge is specialized yet diverse. He is a talented violin player and chemist, and is well-versed in sensational literature. It is implied that he is involved in some drug usage, although this is never explicitly stated. His success in solving crimes stems from his ability to observe and deduce. He has a tendency to be moody and he sometimes experiences profound depression; he is also very solitary.
Dr. Watson
A military doctor who is wounded during the second Afghan war. He is sent to recover in London, upon which he is introduced to Holmes and becomes his roommate. He is intelligent, rational, calm, and steadfast.
Stamford
An old war friend of Watson's who introduces Watson and Holmes when both mention they are looking for a roommate.
John Ferrier
A traveler heading West who joins the Mormon faith when the Mormons, led by Brigham Young, rescue him from the desert. The adopted father of Lucy Ferrier, he comes to recognize the danger of the Mormons and tries to escape Salt Lake City with Lucy and Jefferson Hope.
Lucy Ferrier
The beautiful and charming adopted daughter of John Ferrier, Lucy falls in love with an outsider and a Gentile -Jefferson Hope. She is eventually forced to marry one of Elders' sons, Enoch Drebber. Unfortunately, she dies within a month of a broken heart.
Enoch Drebber
The son of one of the Mormon Elders, Drebber is awarded Lucy Ferrier's hand in marriage. He is pursued to the death by Jefferson Hope. His body is found in an abandoned home in Lauriston Gardens, thus beginning the mystery.
Joseph Stangerson
A son of one of the Mormon Elders, Stangerson also vied for Lucy Ferrier's hand but lost to Drebber. He eventually became Drebber's private secretary and traveled with him to Europe. He was also murdered by the vengeful Jefferson Hope.
Brigham Young
The charismatic, powerful, and brutal chief of the Mormons. Claiming to speak for Joseph Smith and deemed himself a Prophet himself, Young ruled over the Elect with an iron fist. He refused to let Lucy Ferrier marry a Gentile and sent his Avenging Angels after the Ferriers when they escaped from Utah.
Lestrade
A detective of Scotland Yard who consults Holmes on cases. He and Gregson have a bitter rivalry.
Gregson
A Scotland Yard detective who is not particularly fond of Holmes but is considered by him to be the best of the Yard detectives. He and Lestrade have a bitter rivalry.
Jefferson Hope
A young, strong, and capable hunter. He meets Lucy Ferrier, falls in love with her, and tries to help her and her father escape. Hope later hardens into a revenge-obsessed man who tracks Drebber and Stangerson, the two men responsible for the Ferrier's deaths, to London. He eventually murders both of them but dies peacefully and satisfied within a few days of his capture from an aortic aneurism.
John Rance
The constable on duty the night of the murder; he discovered Drebber's dead body within the empty house on Brixton Road.
Madame Charpentier
The proprietress of the boardinghouse where Drebber and Stangerson stay in London.
Arthur Charpentier
The son of the proprietress of the boardinghouse where Drebber and Stangerson stay in London. He is initially suspected of murdering Drebber because he threatened him for speaking lasciviously to Alice Charpentier, his sister.
