Characters in Black Coffee

Supporting characters

• Hercule Poirot

  Relies on order, method, and small overlooked details rather than physical evidence alone.

  Also in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Big Four, Mystery of the Blue Train, Peril at End House, Lord Edgware Dies, Murder on the Orient Express, Murder in Three Acts

• Captain Arthur Hastings

  Earnest and good-natured, serving as a foil whose conclusions Poirot gently corrects.

  Also in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates, The Big Four, Peril at End House, Lord Edgware Dies, Dumb Witness, Curtain

• Inspector Japp

  Practical and procedural, contrasting with Poirot's psychological approach.

  Also in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Poirot Investigates, The Big Four, Lord Edgware Dies, Death in the Clouds, The Under Dog and Other Stories, Poirot's Early Cases, The Affair at the Victory Ball

• Sir Claud Amory

  Authoritative and controlling; stages an ultimatum to recover his work.

• Lucia Amory

  Anxious and guarded, carrying a private burden that draws suspicion.

• Richard Amory

  Protective of his wife and strained by financial and family pressures.

• Barbara Amory

  Bright and modern in manner, observing the household's tensions with detachment.

• Dr Carelli

  Suave and evasive, his sudden arrival arouses immediate suspicion.

• Edward Raynor

  Discreet and dutiful, positioned close to the stolen papers.

• Caroline Amory

  Fussy and talkative, managing the domestic order of the household.

• Tredwell

  Impeccably proper, overseeing the staff and witnessing the household's routines.