Raymond “Ray” Carney
Ray is the novel's protagonist. He is a furniture salesman who attempts to make an honest living. He is also the son of Big Mike, a renowned criminal who was largely absent for significant chunks of his childhood. Ray fences stolen goods for his cousin, acting as a behind-the-scenes intermediary. He struggles with his attempts to live a straight life while being constantly drawn back into criminal enterprises. He also hopes to one day get the respect and appreciation of his pretentious in-laws. He proves to be an effective criminal precisely because he does not draw attention to himself and is careful and patient in how executes plans. He becomes frustrated when opportunities to become seen as more respectable in the eyes of his peers elude him, like his rejection from the Dumas Club or his lost offer from a prominent furniture brand. He attempts, at various points, to protect his cousin Freddie from harm and danger, but recognizes that his ability to do so is ultimately limited.
Big Mike
Big Mike is Ray's father. He is a famous criminal who is known by reputation throughout Harlem. He was largely absent for most of Ray's childhood. He eventually dies during a botched robbery before the events of the book. Pepper observes that Ray resembles his father most when he is cooking up a plan.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth is Ray's wife. They have a loving marriage and are close with their two children. Her parents look down on Ray as not being a member of the same social class as them. Elizabeth works for a travel agency that helps Black individuals travel safely through the United States. Her work makes her increasingly impassioned about civil rights. She dislikes her parents' views about race and class and finds them stuffy, outdated, and cruel.
Freddie
Freddie is Ray's cousin. He is more open about being involved in crime than Ray is and, also unlike Ray, idolized his absent father. He takes part in the Hotel Theresa robbery. He later becomes addicted to drugs. He admires his cousin Ray but cannot sustain a normal life like his. He eventually becomes close with a rich, white college dropout named Linus, which proves to be his undoing. He frequently relies on Ray to get him out of jams, until he is finally unable to.
Miami Joe
Miami Joe is a robber who leads the Hotel Theresa heist. He has been committing burglaries for years and employs a cold and ruthless methodology to his plans. He shows no qualms about killing people in order to protect himself.
Chink Montague
Montague is a local gangster known for his power and brutality. Ray first encounters him after the Hotel Theresa heist, as Montague sends people out to look for a necklace belonging to one of his girlfriends. He is widely feared in the community.
Pepper
Pepper is another criminal who works on the Hotel Theresa Job. He is a World War II vet with a weary outlook about the world. He is a skilled marksman and thief. Ray eventually employs him to help with stakeouts of Duke and Brucie. Ray and Pepper eventually become friends by the book's end.
Wilfred Duke
Duke is an influential local businessman who runs the Dumas Club. Ray takes him down after he denies him entry into the Dumas Club. His reputation is destroyed when it is revealed he has been having an affair and swindling club members.
Linus
Linus is a rich white man who becomes friends with Freddie. They spend most of their days partying and getting high. The two eventually hatch a plan to rob Linus's family. Later in the novel, he overdoses and dies, effectively sealing Freddie's fate.
Ambrose Van Wyck
Ambrose is Linus's father and a wealthy white man. He sends his henchmen to locate his stolen belongings and beat Freddie. He is portrayed as cold, ruthless, and unfeeling.
Munson
Munson is a crooked cop who takes payoffs from Ray. He is portrayed as being vindictive and petty. He and Ray have a relationship of necessity, which Ray utilizes to get information about what is going on in the city.
