AIZUKOTETSU-KAI: Yakuza organization centered in Kyoto, Japan
VINNIE AMENDOLA: mortuary technician at OCME
LOUIE BARBERA: temporary capo for Vaccarro crime family
DR. HAROLD BINGHAM: chief medical examiner, NYC
CLAIR BOURSE: receptionist at iPS USA
MICHAEL CALABRESE: private placement agent
PAULIE CERINO: capo for Vaccarro crime family, currently in prison
GROVER COLLINS: a kidnap expert and one of the founders of CRT Risk Management
DR. BENJAMIN (BEN) COREY: founder and CEO of iPS USA LLC
CRT RISK MANAGEMENT: stands for Collins, Rupert, and Thomas, a team of mostly previous Special Forces agents who have teamed up to help victims of kidnapping in particular
TOMMASO DELUCA: young enforcer for Vaccarro crime family, hired by Louie Barbera
JOHN DEVRIES: head of toxicology at OCME
VINNIE DOMINICK: capo for the Lucia crime family
YOSHIAKI ETO: enforcer for Aizukotetsu-kai in New York City
KENICHI FUJIWARA: senior vice minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry for the Japanese government
HIROSHI FUKAZAWA: oyabun, or head, of Yamaguchi-gumi
SABORU FUKUDA: saiko-komon of Yamaguchi-gumi in New York City
KANIJI GOTO: Yamaguchi-gumi enforcer in Japan
CARL HARRIS: chief financial officer of iPS USA LLC
INAGAWA-KAI: Yakuza organization centered in Tokyo, Japan
IPS PATENT JAPAN: fictitious Japanese corporation dealing specifically with Japanese patents
IPS USA: fictitious U.S. corporation dealing with induced pluripotent stem cell patents and associated intellectual property
HISAYUKI ISHII: oyabun, or head, of Aizukotetsu-kai
TOM JANOW: detective lieutenant of the Bergen County police
KENJI: name Laurie gave to Satoshi Machita’s corpse before it was identified
TOKUTARO KUDO: saiko-komon of Yamaguchi-gumi in Japan
LUCIA CRIME FAMILY: Long Island Mafia family run by capo Vinnie Dominick
ARTHUR MACEWAN: enforcer for Vaccarro crime family
SATOSHI MACHITA: researcher with wife, Yunie-chan, and son, Shigeru
DUANE MACKENZIE: young enforcer for Vaccarro crime family, hired by Louie Barbera
REBECCA MARSHALL: identification clerk at OCME
MLI: medical legal investigator at OCME; they have forensic training but are not MDs; MLIs go out in the field to investigate deaths
BRENNAN MONAGHAN: enforcer for the Vaccarro Mafia family
HANK MONROE: director of identification at OCME
MITSUHIRO NARUMI: saiko-komon of Inagawa-kai
OCME: Office of Chief Medical Examiner, New York City
CARLO PAPARO: enforcer for the Vaccarro Mafia family
MAUREEN O’CONNOR: supervisor of histology laboratory at OCME
OYABUN: head of a Yakuza organization, or Mob boss
TED POLOWSKI: enforcer for the Vaccarro crime family
TWYLA ROBINSON: chief of staff at OCME
SAIKO-KOMON: head adviser of Yakuza organization just below the oyabun in the particular Yakuza’s hometown, or the boss of a splinter group in a different town
HIDEKI SHIMODA: saiko-komon for Aizukotetsu-kai in New York City
LOU SOLDANO: detective captain, NYPD
JACK STAPLETON: medical examiner, OCME, NYC
LAURIE MONTGOMERY-STAPLETON: medical examiner, OCME, NYC
RON STEADMAN: NYPD detective at Midtown North Precinct
JACQUELINE ROSTEAU: Ben Corey’s assistant
NAOKI TAJIRI: manager of The Paradise club in Tokyo
COLT THOMAS: a kidnap expert and one of the founders of CRT Risk Management
TADAMASA TSUJI: saiko-komon of Aizukotetsu-kai
VACCARRO CRIME FAMILY: Long Island Mafia family run by capo Louie Barbera
DR. CALVIN WASHINGTON: deputy chief medical examiner, NYC
RIKI WATANABE: enforcer for Hisayuki Ishii
LETICA WILSON: nanny for Laurie and Jack’s son, JJ
MARLENE WILSON: receptionist at OCME
WARREN WILSON: basketball buddy of Jack’s who is the neighborhood gang leader
YAKUZA: organized crime organization in Japan
YAMAGUCHI-GUMI: Yakuza organization centered in Kobe, Japan
CHONG YONG: enforcer for Hisayuki Ishii