The main characters, Frank and Trevor, are both ordinary and predictable. It is the supporting characters, such as Desdemona, her friend Fernando, Joe Merchant, and even Rudy Breno who stand out as memorable in this novel.

Joe Merchant is a dark soul who goes over the edge to join the world of hired killers. Joe Merchant's character borrows heavily from real dead rock legends such as Jim Morrison, who curiously share the same initials, though the name selection may have actually been a tribute to a living musician, Jimmy Merchant. Both Desdemona's and Trevor's composite view of Joe point out further similarities.

Desdemona describes him as one of the most gifted and demented people she had ever met, a man ruled by the reptilian side of his brain. One minute he was the life of the party, and the next he would be trying to rip somebody's head...