Calum MacLean–A young gunman, a big talent. He killed Lewis Winter and he killed Glen Davidson. Did a good job. All it got him was deeper into an organization that he wants no part of.
Peter Jamieson–A growing empire, but is under attack. Shug Francis thinks he can take what Jamieson’s built. So long as there are no distractions, Jamieson will strike back hard.
John Young–Organizing, scheming and doing all in his power as second in command to keep the Jamieson organization growing.
Frank MacLeod–He was the best gunman in the city. Now he’s back, with his new hip ready to see action. Been a while since he worked, but you never forget.
Emma Munro–A student, her life ahead of her. Her new boyfriend, Calum, is a good guy, she thinks, if he would only open up a little.
DI Michael Fisher–Moves are being made in his city. He can nail those behind it all, but he needs the right contacts. Information is king.
Hugh ‘Shug’ Francis–His first move against Jamieson was a failure. Winter dead; Davidson following him to the grave. Restock, plan and get it right.
Tommy Scott–Starting from the absolute bottom, but he’s going to make it to the top. Dealing drugs for Shug is just the start.
Andy ‘Clueless’ McClure–Where Tommy goes, Clueless goes; everyone knows that. He will help his mate to the top, if that’s where he’s going.
Kenny McBride–Peter Jamieson’s driver. Near the bottom of the food chain, but even those at the bottom have plenty to worry about if things look like turning sour.
Shaun Hutton–He’s Shug’s new gunman, replacing Davidson. Hutton’s smart, he knows you need to be on the winning team.
George Daly–Muscle for Jamieson, a friend for Calum. Always fighting to avoid better things. Be happy with what you have.
Nate Colgan–A scary, powerful, smart man. Employed to be all of those things, principally by Jamieson.
William MacLean–Always worrying about his little brother. Always willing to do what it takes to help protect Calum.
PC Joseph Higgins–He works so hard, he does his best, but it’s tough. Sometimes you just don’t know who the good guys are any more.
David ‘Fizzy’ Waters–Shug’s right-hand man, always has been. Proud of his friend, happy to be the buffer between Shug and those lower down.
PC Paul Greig–So he talks to criminals: is that not a part of policing? He can justify what he does to himself, just not to others.
DC Ian Davies–If you learn one thing working closely with Fisher, it’s that keeping your mouth shut and staying out of his way lead to a lot less work.
Lewis Winter–He had twenty-five years of one failure after another. Then Calum MacLean killed him. Well, he was a drug dealer, so there aren’t many mourning.
Martin ‘Marty’ Jones–If he didn’t make so much damn money, Jamieson would never let him hang around the club.
Adam Jones–Manager of the optimistically named Heavenly nightclub and, like his brother Marty, a great lover of profit.
Glen Davidson–He was a freelance gunman. Then he tried to kill Calum with a knife. He slashed Calum, injured him, but it was Davidson dead on the floor in the end.
Mark Garvey–Selling guns is dangerous, dirty. You need all the protection you can get, and informing to a strong DI is one safety net.
Kirk Webster–He’s well placed, working for a phone company. That’s his one redeeming feature.
Bobby Peterson–Has a nice little printing business. Jamieson owns a little share of it. Making money from legitimate businesses is important.
Ian Allen–Works with his cousin, Charlie, running a strong drug network just outside the city. They need new suppliers, though–someone reliable.
Charlie Allen–He’s Ian’s cousin, not his brother. People often make that mistake. Not that it bothers them; their lives are about money, not identity.
John ‘Reader’ Benson–It was such a long time ago that Reader gave Frank his first job in the business as muscle. Forty-four years. Things have changed.
Barney McGovern–Another piece of Frank’s past. Barney employed Frank in the Eighties, went to meet his maker in the Nineties.
Anna Milton–Emma Munro’s best friend. She takes a little getting used to, sure, but she’s not a bad person.
Colin Thomson–It hasn’t been an easy life for him. Living in a grotty flat, his health in decline. Then there’s shooting in the flat above.
DCI Anthony Reid–Give your detectives the freedom to do their work. He gives Fisher a long leash, despite the Winter investigation going nowhere.
Jamie Stamford–Muscle for Alex MacArthur. Everyone has a vice, and Jamie’s is gambling. You should never have a vice that gets in the way of work.
Neil Fraser–Muscle for Peter Jamieson. A short temper and a small brain get a man into trouble, no matter who his boss is.
Alex MacArthur–One of the leading men in the criminal world for decades now. Controls just about the biggest organization in the city.
Elaine Francis–She’s been married to Shug long enough to know what he does for a living. To know when to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye.
Dennis Dunbar–Dennis has been dead a long time now, but he sent plenty to the grave before him. He taught Frank the important lessons of life as a gunman.
Donnie Maskell–More than thirty years since he was a leading gangster and employed Frank. Stay in the business as long as Frank, and you rack up all sorts of employers.
DI Douglas Chalmers–Retired now, but he spent years chasing Frank MacLeod. The Fisher of his day, perhaps.
DCI Richard Whyte–Retired twenty years ago, died five years ago. Always had a bee in his bonnet about catching Frank. Never caught the bee.
Derek Conner–Used to run a mediocre drug network in the city. Then had the dubious honour of being the first person Peter Jamieson killed.
Donall ‘Spikey’ Tokely–Used to run in a gang with Tommy and Clueless. He’s grown up now, so he sells guns instead.