Nicky Hunter is one of the novel’s two protagonists and point-of-view characters. She was Cole Trapp, the missing son of Sebastian Trapp, and has gone through gender-affirming surgery; her story reveals The Power of Purposeful Reinvention. She is a young professor who specializes in detective and mystery fiction, and her knowledge about the genre, specifically quotes and plots, rivals Sebastian’s.

Nicky is generally described as a kind and open person by her aunt and friends. However, she has successfully taken up boxing to get in shape, so while her personality is such that people give her hugs without meaning to or open up to her like a confessor, she doesn’t hesitate to tackle and punch an intruder or put a stranger in a headlock. Her mix of courage and compassion are paramount to the character.

Madeleine Trapp, Sebastian and Hope’s daughter and Cole’s older sister is the second point-of-view character and protagonist. She lives in her own suite at the manor house, and while she wants to take care of her father, she can’t handle doing much more than being around for him and her step-mother, Diana. She wants to write but is bad at it, and while she volunteers at the local library, she doesn’t get paid.