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* ThePerfectionist: Everything has to be just "so" with Amy, and God help you if it's not. It's why her plan for disappearing takes so long -- she spent the better part of a year working out all the details. Hilary theorizes that this is the ''real'' reason she decided to punish her, and later, Nick; because they saw she wasn't perfect.
-->'''Hilary:''' I feel like Amy wanted people to believe she really was perfect. And as we got to be friends, I got to know her. And she wasn’t perfect. You know? She was brilliant and charming and all that, but she was also controlling and OCD and a drama queen and a bit of a liar. Which was fine by me. It just wasn’t fine by her. She got rid of me because I knew she wasn’t perfect. It made me wonder about you.\\
'''Nick:''' About me? Why?\\
'''Hilary:''' Friends see most of each other's flaws. Spouses see every awful last bit. If she punished a friend of a few months by throwing herself down a flight of stairs, [[OhCrap what would she do to a man who was dumb enough to marry her]]?
-->'''Hilary:''' I feel like Amy wanted people to believe she really was perfect. And as we got to be friends, I got to know her. And she wasn’t perfect. You know? She was brilliant and charming and all that, but she was also controlling and OCD and a drama queen and a bit of a liar. Which was fine by me. It just wasn’t fine by her. She got rid of me because I knew she wasn’t perfect. It made me wonder about you.\\
'''Nick:''' About me? Why?\\
'''Hilary:''' Friends see most of each other's flaws. Spouses see every awful last bit. If she punished a friend of a few months by throwing herself down a flight of stairs, [[OhCrap what would she do to a man who was dumb enough to marry her]]?
* RedHerring: She's suggested early on as being a potential suspect, Amy's father explaining what happened between her and Amy, and claiming that she's ''scarier than Desi''. She also gets rather hostile when Nick calls her. However, it soon becomes clear that Hilary is honestly innocent, and that she has ''damn'' good reason for being bitter.
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* StalkerWithoutACrush: Amy set her up to look like one.
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* AlliterativeName: '''H'''ilary '''H'''andy.
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An ex-boyfriend of Amy's, who she claimed raped her. He didn't. Played by Scoot McNairy in the movie.
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An ex-boyfriend of Amy's, who she claimed raped her. He didn't. Played by Scoot McNairy [=McNairy=] in the movie.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hilary Handy]]
An old classmate of Amy's, who apparently stalked her before shoving her down the stairs. Key word here being [[FrameUp "apparently."]]
* AdaptedOut: She's not in the movie.
* DrivenToSuicide: According to Boney, she's had suicide attempts in the past, though they obviously didn't succeed.
* FrameUp: The target of one of Amy's first. Amy set her up to seem like a creepy stalker, before throwing ''herself'' down the stairs and claiming Hilary pushed her.
-->'''Hilary:''' The girl ''cracked her own ribs''. Who was going to believe me?
* KillAndReplace: Subverted. Amy made it ''look'' like this was her plan for Amy, but it was all a set-up.
* LoonyFan: Again, subverted. She appears to be this for "Amazing Amy," but she's not.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: She was so traumatized by what Amy did to her that when she was expelled, she didn't bother trying to fight it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tommy O'Hara]]
An ex-boyfriend of Amy's, who she claimed raped her. He didn't. Played by Scoot McNairy in the movie.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the book, Amy let him panic for a few days before dropping the rape charges. In the movie, however, she didn't drop them, leading to Tommy having to plead guilty to a lesser charge to avoid jailtime, resulting in him having to register as a sex offender.
* FalseRapeAccusation: On the receiving end of one. The evidence was pretty damning, but it was all planted by Amy.
* FrameUp: Yet another victim of Amy's.
[[folder:Hilary Handy]]
An old classmate of Amy's, who apparently stalked her before shoving her down the stairs. Key word here being [[FrameUp "apparently."]]
* AdaptedOut: She's not in the movie.
* DrivenToSuicide: According to Boney, she's had suicide attempts in the past, though they obviously didn't succeed.
* FrameUp: The target of one of Amy's first. Amy set her up to seem like a creepy stalker, before throwing ''herself'' down the stairs and claiming Hilary pushed her.
-->'''Hilary:''' The girl ''cracked her own ribs''. Who was going to believe me?
* KillAndReplace: Subverted. Amy made it ''look'' like this was her plan for Amy, but it was all a set-up.
* LoonyFan: Again, subverted. She appears to be this for "Amazing Amy," but she's not.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: She was so traumatized by what Amy did to her that when she was expelled, she didn't bother trying to fight it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tommy O'Hara]]
An ex-boyfriend of Amy's, who she claimed raped her. He didn't. Played by Scoot McNairy in the movie.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the book, Amy let him panic for a few days before dropping the rape charges. In the movie, however, she didn't drop them, leading to Tommy having to plead guilty to a lesser charge to avoid jailtime, resulting in him having to register as a sex offender.
* FalseRapeAccusation: On the receiving end of one. The evidence was pretty damning, but it was all planted by Amy.
* FrameUp: Yet another victim of Amy's.
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* TheSociopath: He ticks off many qualities, but he's nowhere near as bad as Amy.
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* TheSociopath: He ticks off many qualities, but he's nowhere near as bad as Amy. Ultimately averted, as he does genuinely love Go, and elects to stay with Amy because he wants to protect their child from her. And it's implied that, deep, ''deep'' down, he loves Amy in spite of it all.
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* AdultFear: No matter how you feel about their parenting skills, it's hard not to empathize with the fear of their only daughter vanishing and apparently having been murdered by her own husband.
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* ParentsAsPeople: Were they great parents? Probably not. Did they have a hand in making Amy the psycho she is today? Almost certainly. But do they genuinely love her? Yes.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Dunnes]]
!!Bill and Maureen Dunne
Nick and Go's parents, who divorced when they were children. Bill was an abusive misogynist, while Maureen, though loving, is a bit overprotective and doting, especially towards Nick. At the start of the novel, Maureen has died and Bill has long since gone senile. Played by Leonard Kelly-Young and Cyd Strittmatter in the movie.
* AbusiveParents: Bill was of the emotional variety, especially towards poor Go.
* CharacterDeath: Maureen dies before the novel begins, and Bill finally dies towards the end. By then, though, with all the shit Nick's gone through, it's practically a footnote.
* DemotedToExtra: Not that they were ever ''huge'' players, but they get much less to do in the movie than they did in the book. Maureen, in particular, is regulated to a silent role.
* DomesticAbuse: Bill was emotionally abusive to Maureen. Nick comments that Bill probably never thought of himself as abusive, since he never hit her.
* GoodParents: Once she got away from Bill, Maureen was definitely this. It's safe to say that whatever good is in Nick and Go came from her.
* HeManWomanHater: Bill hates women. ''Really'' hates them.
* MoralityPet: Weirdly, Maureen seems to be one of the few people Amy ''doesn't'' hate, and even sort of likes. Not that it matters in the end.
* MyBelovedSmother: By her own admission, Maureen spoiled Nick.
* PosthumousCharacter: Maureen dies before the novel begins, but appears in Amy's diary entries.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Maureen's battle with cancer is what causes Nick to move himself and Amy to North Carthage.
[[folder: The Dunnes]]
!!Bill and Maureen Dunne
Nick and Go's parents, who divorced when they were children. Bill was an abusive misogynist, while Maureen, though loving, is a bit overprotective and doting, especially towards Nick. At the start of the novel, Maureen has died and Bill has long since gone senile. Played by Leonard Kelly-Young and Cyd Strittmatter in the movie.
* AbusiveParents: Bill was of the emotional variety, especially towards poor Go.
* CharacterDeath: Maureen dies before the novel begins, and Bill finally dies towards the end. By then, though, with all the shit Nick's gone through, it's practically a footnote.
* DemotedToExtra: Not that they were ever ''huge'' players, but they get much less to do in the movie than they did in the book. Maureen, in particular, is regulated to a silent role.
* DomesticAbuse: Bill was emotionally abusive to Maureen. Nick comments that Bill probably never thought of himself as abusive, since he never hit her.
* GoodParents: Once she got away from Bill, Maureen was definitely this. It's safe to say that whatever good is in Nick and Go came from her.
* HeManWomanHater: Bill hates women. ''Really'' hates them.
* MoralityPet: Weirdly, Maureen seems to be one of the few people Amy ''doesn't'' hate, and even sort of likes. Not that it matters in the end.
* MyBelovedSmother: By her own admission, Maureen spoiled Nick.
* PosthumousCharacter: Maureen dies before the novel begins, but appears in Amy's diary entries.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Maureen's battle with cancer is what causes Nick to move himself and Amy to North Carthage.
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* AbusiveParents: Not intentionally, but basing a fictional character off of your real daughter and making that character absolutely perfect in all the ways your daughter is not isn't exactly what you'd call good parenting. It gets worse when Amy disappears -- they act more like their fictional child has disappeared than their real ones.
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* AbusiveParents: Not intentionally, but basing a fictional character off of your real daughter and making that character absolutely perfect in all the ways your daughter is not isn't exactly what you'd call good parenting. It gets worse when Amy disappears -- they act more like their fictional child has disappeared than their real ones.one.
* CreatorCouple: InUniverse, their entire schitck is that they're a married pair of authors who wrote a children's book series based on their own child together.
* CreatorCouple: InUniverse, their entire schitck is that they're a married pair of authors who wrote a children's book series based on their own child together.
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* RichBitch: Both of them are very wealthy, and generally uppity and unlikable -- this is more pronounced in the movie.
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* SadisticChoice: Amy gives him one in the finale - either he leaves her and she raises his child to despise him for abandoning them and the public turn on him, or he stays married to a psychopath in order to protect his kid from her.
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* SadisticChoice: Amy gives him one in the finale - -- either he leaves her and she raises his child to despise him for abandoning them and the public turn on him, or he stays married to a psychopath in order to protect his kid from her.
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* AbusiveParents: Amy's are of the emotionally abusive variety - even Nick admits that using Amazing Amy as the perfect avatar to your actual child's and making her successful everywhere Amy fails is ''not'' how you raise a mentally healthy, stable person.
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* AbusiveParents: Amy's are of the emotionally abusive variety - -- even Nick admits that using Amazing Amy as the perfect avatar to your actual child's and making her successful everywhere Amy fails is ''not'' how you raise a mentally healthy, stable person.
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* RapeAsBackstory: Subverted. She was apparently raped by her ex-boyfriend Tommy O'Hara, but this was all a set-up to get back at him for seeing other girls. She also told Desi she was [[ParentalIncest raped by her father]], and wrote in her (fake) diary that [[MaritalRapeLicense Nick forced her into sex]], but both of these claims can be taken with a grain of salt.
to:
* RapeAsBackstory: Subverted. She was apparently raped by her ex-boyfriend Tommy O'Hara, but this was all a set-up to get back at him for seeing other girls. She also told Desi she was [[ParentalIncest raped by her father]], and wrote in her (fake) diary that [[MaritalRapeLicense Nick forced her into sex]], but both of these claims can be taken with sex]]; she admits in her narration that the claim about her father is a grain of salt.lie, and the one about Nick is likely false as well.
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* WalkingSpoiler: It's hard to talk about her without revealing that she's a psycopath.
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* WalkingSpoiler: It's hard to talk about her without revealing that she's a psycopath.psychopath.
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* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump her - "Fuck you. You think I'm some dumb kid, some pathetic student you can ''manage?'' I stick by you through all this - this talk about how you might be a murderer -m and as soon as it's a little tough for you? No, ''no''. You don't get to talk about conscience and decency and guilt and feel like you are doing the right thing. Do you understand me? Because you are a cheating, cowardly, selfish ''shit''."
to:
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump her - -- "Fuck you. You think I'm some dumb kid, some pathetic student you can ''manage?'' I stick by you through all this - -- this talk about how you might be a murderer -m and as soon as it's a little tough for you? No, ''no''. You don't get to talk about conscience and decency and guilt and feel like you are doing the right thing. Do you understand me? Because you are a cheating, cowardly, selfish ''shit''."
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* DumbIsGood: Why Amy bothered with her - she wanted a "local idiot" she could use to make her seem like a good person once she was gone, and handily, Noelle being pregnant meant Amy could [[{{Squick}} steal her urine]] to fake a pregnancy.
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* DumbIsGood: Why Amy bothered with her - -- she wanted a "local idiot" she could use to make her seem like a good person once she was gone, and handily, Noelle being pregnant meant Amy could [[{{Squick}} steal her urine]] to fake a pregnancy.
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[[folder:Amy Elliot Dunne]]
!!Amy Elliot Dunne
!!Amy Elliot Dunne
to:
[[folder:Amy Elliot Elliott Dunne]]
!!AmyElliot Elliott Dunne
!!Amy
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* OnlySaneMan: He's relatively unaffected by the Elliot-Dunne family's insanity, and he likes it that way.
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* OnlySaneMan: He's relatively unaffected by the Elliot-Dunne Elliott-Dunne family's insanity, and he likes it that way.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Elliotts]]
!!Rand and Marybeth Elliott
Amy's parents, who got seriously rich off their children's book series, "Amazing Amy," based on the real Amy. Though they at first believe Nick's story, they slowly begin to suspect him along with everyone else. Played by David Clennon and Lisa Banes in the movie.
* AbusiveParents: Not intentionally, but basing a fictional character off of your real daughter and making that character absolutely perfect in all the ways your daughter is not isn't exactly what you'd call good parenting. It gets worse when Amy disappears -- they act more like their fictional child has disappeared than their real ones.
* HappilyMarried: They are ''ridiculously'' affectionate and cutesy together, almost to the point of being creepy.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Marybeth had five miscarriages and two stillbirths before Amy -- all girls, all named "Hope."
* ParentalIncest: Subverted. Amy admits to having told Desi her father raped her, but this was just to appear as the "damaged" woman Desi wanted.
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: According to Amy, they used the Amazing Amy books to do this in expressing all their disappointments with real Amy. It's not hard to see where she would've gotten the idea, though they insist it wasn't meant to be insulting in any way.
* SickeninglySweethearts: They hang all over each other in public, flirt with each other constantly, exchange flowers ''every week for fifty years'', apparently get along ''so'' well that even normal bickering in a relationship is completely foreign to them, are never seen apart... ''eegh''. Regardless of how you feel about Amy, you can understand why she finds their marriage to be somewhat nauseating.
[[folder: The Elliotts]]
!!Rand and Marybeth Elliott
Amy's parents, who got seriously rich off their children's book series, "Amazing Amy," based on the real Amy. Though they at first believe Nick's story, they slowly begin to suspect him along with everyone else. Played by David Clennon and Lisa Banes in the movie.
* AbusiveParents: Not intentionally, but basing a fictional character off of your real daughter and making that character absolutely perfect in all the ways your daughter is not isn't exactly what you'd call good parenting. It gets worse when Amy disappears -- they act more like their fictional child has disappeared than their real ones.
* HappilyMarried: They are ''ridiculously'' affectionate and cutesy together, almost to the point of being creepy.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Marybeth had five miscarriages and two stillbirths before Amy -- all girls, all named "Hope."
* ParentalIncest: Subverted. Amy admits to having told Desi her father raped her, but this was just to appear as the "damaged" woman Desi wanted.
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: According to Amy, they used the Amazing Amy books to do this in expressing all their disappointments with real Amy. It's not hard to see where she would've gotten the idea, though they insist it wasn't meant to be insulting in any way.
* SickeninglySweethearts: They hang all over each other in public, flirt with each other constantly, exchange flowers ''every week for fifty years'', apparently get along ''so'' well that even normal bickering in a relationship is completely foreign to them, are never seen apart... ''eegh''. Regardless of how you feel about Amy, you can understand why she finds their marriage to be somewhat nauseating.
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* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, which the public eat up thanks to his StalkerWithACrush tendencies.
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* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, which the public eat eats up thanks to his StalkerWithACrush tendencies.
* DumbassHasAPoint: She's not ''dumb'', exactly, but she's clearly not as intelligent as Nick or Amy. Nonetheless, she suggests early on that she and Nick just tell the police about their affair, since she's his alibi. Nick shoots this down, but in hindsight, he ''really'' should've listened to her.
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Amy's best friend, a pregnant woman who already has three children and is suspicious of Nick, who claims he's never heard of her. Turns out Amy befriended her in order to manipulate her into turning the public against Nick and to make her look good.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Like with Boney, she's ugly in the books yet played by Casey Wilson in the movie.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Like with Boney, she's ugly in the books yet played by Casey Wilson in the movie.
to:
Amy's best friend, a pregnant woman who already has three children and is suspicious of Nick, who claims he's never heard of her. Turns out Amy befriended her in order to manipulate her into turning the public against Nick and to make her look good.
good. Played by Casey Wilson in the movie.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Like with Boney, she's ugly in the books yet played by Casey Wilson in the movie. Then again, it's Amy that describes her as ugly -- it's unlikely that Amy wouldn't be biased.
* AttentionWhore: According to Amy, "ugly girls are such thunder-stealers." Of course, this is ''Amy'' saying this, so who knows if it's true.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Like with Boney, she's ugly in the books yet played by Casey Wilson in the movie. Then again, it's Amy that describes her as ugly -- it's unlikely that Amy wouldn't be biased.
* AttentionWhore: According to Amy, "ugly girls are such thunder-stealers." Of course, this is ''Amy'' saying this, so who knows if it's true.
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* PapaWolf: He stays with Amy when he finds out she's pregnant, so he can protect their unborn child from her.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.
to:
* PapaWolf: He stays with LovingAShadow: Both Amy when he finds out she's pregnant, so he can protect their unborn child from her.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.and Andie seemed to be a ManicPixieDreamGirl at first, only to prove that they were a lot more flawed and complex than Nick cared to know or believe.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.
* PapaWolf: He stays with Amy when he finds out she's pregnant, so he can protect their unborn child from her.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.
* SadisticChoice: Amy gives him one in the finale - either he leaves her and she raises his child to despise him for abandoning them and the public turn on him, or he stays married to a psychopath in order to protect his kid from her.
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* YourCheatingHeart: His infidelity is one of the main reasons Amy decides to punish him.
to:
* YourCheatingHeart: His infidelity is one of the main reasons He's cheating on Amy decides to punish with Andie and ''boy'' does it cost him.
* AbusiveParents: Amy's are of the emotionally abusive variety - even Nick admits that using Amazing Amy as the perfect avatar to your actual child's and making her successful everywhere Amy fails is ''not'' how you raise a mentally healthy, stable person.
* BabyTrap: How Amy ultimately triumphs over Nick, knowing he won't walk away from his own child, even if it means staying with her.
* BreakTheCutie: The climax of the movie is this for Margo, seeing her twin brother locked in the MasochismTango with a sociopath.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He wanted Amy back, and he certainly got that...
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* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead to protest or care.
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* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead which the public eat up thanks to protest or care.his StalkerWithACrush tendencies.
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* ThoseTwoGuys: With Gilpin for a large part of the book.
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* KickTheSonOfABitch: Again, robbing Amy. After nearly two-hundred pages of Amy being a vindictive ManipulativeBitch with no comeuppance, Greta assaulting her and leaving her penniless is ''very'' welcome.
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* KickTheSonOfABitch: Again, robbing Amy. After nearly two-hundred pages of Amy being a vindictive ManipulativeBitch with no comeuppance, Greta assaulting her and leaving her penniless is ''very'' welcome.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: Noelle Hawthorn]]
!!Noelle Hawthorn
Amy's best friend, a pregnant woman who already has three children and is suspicious of Nick, who claims he's never heard of her. Turns out Amy befriended her in order to manipulate her into turning the public against Nick and to make her look good.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Like with Boney, she's ugly in the books yet played by Casey Wilson in the movie.
* DumbIsGood: Why Amy bothered with her - she wanted a "local idiot" she could use to make her seem like a good person once she was gone, and handily, Noelle being pregnant meant Amy could [[{{Squick}} steal her urine]] to fake a pregnancy.
* HeroAntagonist: Though her actions serve to make things worse for Nick, she genuinely believes he's hurt her close friend.
* UnwittingPawn: To Amy, and it's unlikely she'll ever learn the truth.
* WhamLine: She delivers one of the movie's earliest:
-->'''Noelle''': Where's your wife, Nick? What'd you do with your ''pregnant wife?''
[[folder: Noelle Hawthorn]]
!!Noelle Hawthorn
Amy's best friend, a pregnant woman who already has three children and is suspicious of Nick, who claims he's never heard of her. Turns out Amy befriended her in order to manipulate her into turning the public against Nick and to make her look good.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Like with Boney, she's ugly in the books yet played by Casey Wilson in the movie.
* DumbIsGood: Why Amy bothered with her - she wanted a "local idiot" she could use to make her seem like a good person once she was gone, and handily, Noelle being pregnant meant Amy could [[{{Squick}} steal her urine]] to fake a pregnancy.
* HeroAntagonist: Though her actions serve to make things worse for Nick, she genuinely believes he's hurt her close friend.
* UnwittingPawn: To Amy, and it's unlikely she'll ever learn the truth.
* WhamLine: She delivers one of the movie's earliest:
-->'''Noelle''': Where's your wife, Nick? What'd you do with your ''pregnant wife?''
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* ComplexityAddiction: She complicates things ''way'' more than she needs to by leaving clues for Nick, when the plan would've worked just as well to just plant the evidence and get the hell out. Hell, had she ''not'' left the clues, Nick never would've realized she was still alive, much less been able to convince her to come home, and almost certainly would've gotten the death penalty. Nick lampshades this, and comments that Amy ''really'' wants him to know she screwed him over, so he can admire how clever she is. (He does, in spite of himself.)
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* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In the movie, he cracks up when he hears about Amy's scheme, saying, "It's just the craziest thing I've ever heard! I love it! I mean, for you, it sucks, but you've gotta have at least a grudging respect for your wife at this point." Needless to say, Nick doesn't see the humor in the situation.
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* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: And it almost results in him getting the death penalty.
* PunchClockVillain: He defends people who are almost certainly guilty of murder. But that's just his job -- after all, it's their constutional right to a lawyer representing them, too. (And, for all we know, some of his clients may have only ''looked'' guilty and were ConvictedByPublicOpinion the same way Nick was.)
* SharpDressedMan: He's always in a suit. Justified, as he's an attorney.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She's got ''nothing'' on Amy in this department, but given that she's sleeping with a man she knows perfectly well is married, and how quickly she turns on Nick when things start looking bad, it's safe to say she's not quite the sweet, nice girl next door she plays.
* UnkemptBeauty: Nick thinks she looks better in jeans and a t-shirt than she does in a formal dress.
* FairCop: In the movie. She's not exactly a sexpot, but Kim Dickens is still a lovely woman, and by extension, so is Boney. Averted in the novel.
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* OnlySaneMan: Along with Tanner, she's one of the few to not be dragged into the shitstorm of insanity that is the conflict between Amy and Nick, and also refuses to side against Nick until she has absolute proof. (Her proof isn't real, as it was planted by Amy, but she couldn't have possibly known that.)
* DeadpanSnarker: She gets in a couple snide remarks at Amy.
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* HiddenDepths: She likes to read Ray Bradbury novels in her downtime.
** She was also observational enough to realize Amy was lying about her identity.
** She was also observational enough to realize Amy was lying about her identity.
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* HiddenDepths: She likes to read Ray Bradbury novels in her downtime.
**downtime. She was also observational enough to realize Amy was lying about her identity.
**
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* AlliterativeName: '''B'''etsy '''B'''olt. Thought "Betsy" is usually short for "Elizabeth."
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* AlliterativeName: '''B'''etsy '''B'''olt. Thought Though "Betsy" is usually short for "Elizabeth.""
* BrainyBrunette: She has dark hair and seems to match her husband's intelligence.
* BrainyBrunette: She has dark hair and seems to match her husband's intelligence.
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* BunnyEarsLawyer: Her method of throwing jelly beans at Nick whenever he screws up? It actually ''works''.
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* CharacterDeath: Amy slashes his throat.
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* SlashedThroat: Amy slashes his throat.
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* BlondGuysAreEvil: In the movie, though maybe "psychotic" is a better term than "evil".
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* BlondesAreEvil: Are they ever!
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The host of 'Ellen Abbott Live'', a talk show that tends to cover stories of abused, kidnapped and murdered women. She jumps on Amy's story when she goes missing, and quickly hones in on Nick as her prime suspect. Played by Missi Pyle in the movie.
to:
The host of 'Ellen ''Ellen Abbott Live'', a talk show that tends to cover stories of abused, kidnapped and murdered women. She jumps on Amy's story when she goes missing, and quickly hones in on Nick as her prime suspect. Played by Missi Pyle in the movie.
* MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome: Ellen's show's tendency towards this trope is {{Exploited}} by Amy, who sweetens the pot not only by being pretty and white, but also by being kind of famous (being Amazing Amy and all), and also being pregnant. That last detail, especially, is what pushes her story to the front.
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* SmarmyHost: Especially in the eyes of Team Nick. In the movie, the smarm factor is turned up with Ellen not-so-lightly implying {{Twincest}} between Nick and Go as part of a smear campaign.
* TalkShow: ''Ellen Abbott Live'' is one.
* TalkShow: ''Ellen Abbott Live'' is one.
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* SlaveToPR: By necessity, once the investigation begins and the media hones in on him as a suspect, but even before the whole thing happened, Nick's ''very'' concerned with coming off as a NiceGuy. As Go puts it, "You would lie, cheat, steal -- hell, even commit murder, just to convince people that you are a good guy."
to:
* SlaveToPR: By necessity, once the investigation begins and the media hones in on him as a suspect, but even before the whole thing happened, Nick's ''very'' concerned with coming off as a NiceGuy. As Go puts it, "You would lie, cheat, steal -- hell, even commit murder, just to convince people that you are a good guy."" Unfortunately, with the media, he is ''terrible'' at it.
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* BrutalHonest: Go does ''not'' mince her words.
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* BrutalHonest: BrutalHonesty: Go does ''not'' mince her words.
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[[folder:Ellen Abbott]]
!!Ellen Abbott
The host of 'Ellen Abbott Live'', a talk show that tends to cover stories of abused, kidnapped and murdered women. She jumps on Amy's story when she goes missing, and quickly hones in on Nick as her prime suspect. Played by Missi Pyle in the movie.
* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: Her show quickly leads to this for Nick -- the public turns on him before there's any actual ''proof'', even fabricated "proof" planted by Amy.
* IfItBleedsItLeads: Presumably the reason her show tends to focus on horrifically abused women so often. The show is clearly more exploitation than it is actual ''news''.
* MamaBear: Amy describes her as being very "protective and maternal" towards the women she talks about on the show.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: It's probably not an accident that Ellen has a ''lot'' in common with Nancy Grace.
[[/folder]]
!!Ellen Abbott
The host of 'Ellen Abbott Live'', a talk show that tends to cover stories of abused, kidnapped and murdered women. She jumps on Amy's story when she goes missing, and quickly hones in on Nick as her prime suspect. Played by Missi Pyle in the movie.
* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: Her show quickly leads to this for Nick -- the public turns on him before there's any actual ''proof'', even fabricated "proof" planted by Amy.
* IfItBleedsItLeads: Presumably the reason her show tends to focus on horrifically abused women so often. The show is clearly more exploitation than it is actual ''news''.
* MamaBear: Amy describes her as being very "protective and maternal" towards the women she talks about on the show.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: It's probably not an accident that Ellen has a ''lot'' in common with Nancy Grace.
[[/folder]]
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!!Greta
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Betsy Bolt]]
!!Betsy Bolt
Tanner's wife, an expert on correcting public relations nightmares. Like Nick.
* AdaptedOut: She's not in the movie, her role given to Tanner.
* AlliterativeName: '''B'''etsy '''B'''olt. Thought "Betsy" is usually short for "Elizabeth."
* BrutalHonesty: Her first comments on Nick with the press? "You're ''awful''." Even Nick admits she's right.
* DeadpanSnarker:
-->'''Betsy:''' ''(whilst imitating Sharon Schieber)'' I aim for absolute authenticity. Aside from my Georgia accent. And being black.
* HappilyMarried: She and Tanner clearly love each other a lot.
* SassyBlackWoman: She can hold her own against her husband, easily.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: With her husband.
* TheSocialExpert: Betsy knows how to work a crowd and what Nick needs to do to get the public back on his side, and is determined to prepare him. Even if that means chucking jellybeans at his face whenever he messes up.
* SouthernBelle: She has a thick Georgia accent.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's noted for being both incredibly hot and incredibly tall.
[[folder:Betsy Bolt]]
!!Betsy Bolt
Tanner's wife, an expert on correcting public relations nightmares. Like Nick.
* AdaptedOut: She's not in the movie, her role given to Tanner.
* AlliterativeName: '''B'''etsy '''B'''olt. Thought "Betsy" is usually short for "Elizabeth."
* BrutalHonesty: Her first comments on Nick with the press? "You're ''awful''." Even Nick admits she's right.
* DeadpanSnarker:
-->'''Betsy:''' ''(whilst imitating Sharon Schieber)'' I aim for absolute authenticity. Aside from my Georgia accent. And being black.
* HappilyMarried: She and Tanner clearly love each other a lot.
* SassyBlackWoman: She can hold her own against her husband, easily.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: With her husband.
* TheSocialExpert: Betsy knows how to work a crowd and what Nick needs to do to get the public back on his side, and is determined to prepare him. Even if that means chucking jellybeans at his face whenever he messes up.
* SouthernBelle: She has a thick Georgia accent.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's noted for being both incredibly hot and incredibly tall.
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** She was also observational enough to realize Amy was lying about her identity.
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!Main Characters
* BrutalHonest: Go does ''not'' mince her words.
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[[folder:Andie Hardy]]
!!Andie Hardy
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski in the movie.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, her surname becomes Fitzgerald.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Really the only way to describe someone who won't stay away from her boyfriend even when ''whether or not he's a suspect for murdering his wife'' depends on it.
* {{Cuddlebug}}: Nick mentions that Andie's very much into touching -- hugging, cuddling, touching someone's shoulder, and, of course, sex.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her boyfriend is under investigation for ''murder'', and she complains that she hasn't called her.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played with -- Nick certainly sees her as one, which is one of the main reasons Amy hates her, but she just makes matters worse for Nick in the end.
* TheMistress: Sleeping with the married Nick.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump her - "Fuck you. You think I'm some dumb kid, some pathetic student you can ''manage?'' I stick by you through all this - this talk about how you might be a murderer -m and as soon as it's a little tough for you? No, ''no''. You don't get to talk about conscience and decency and guilt and feel like you are doing the right thing. Do you understand me? Because you are a cheating, cowardly, selfish ''shit''.
* TeacherStudentRomance: She's Nick's student as well as his lover.
* TooDumbToLive: Played with. While she's not nearly as careful as she should be, given her situation, Amy admits that Andie's smarter than she took her for -- she's careful with what she posts on social media, and knows when it's time to bail on Nick and get public sympathy on her side.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the movie, she just sort of vanishes after her press conference. Averted in the book, where Nick mentions that she began dating a guy her own age, and never replied to Nick when he texted her and apologized.
!!Andie Hardy
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski in the movie.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, her surname becomes Fitzgerald.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Really the only way to describe someone who won't stay away from her boyfriend even when ''whether or not he's a suspect for murdering his wife'' depends on it.
* {{Cuddlebug}}: Nick mentions that Andie's very much into touching -- hugging, cuddling, touching someone's shoulder, and, of course, sex.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her boyfriend is under investigation for ''murder'', and she complains that she hasn't called her.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played with -- Nick certainly sees her as one, which is one of the main reasons Amy hates her, but she just makes matters worse for Nick in the end.
* TheMistress: Sleeping with the married Nick.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump her - "Fuck you. You think I'm some dumb kid, some pathetic student you can ''manage?'' I stick by you through all this - this talk about how you might be a murderer -m and as soon as it's a little tough for you? No, ''no''. You don't get to talk about conscience and decency and guilt and feel like you are doing the right thing. Do you understand me? Because you are a cheating, cowardly, selfish ''shit''.
* TeacherStudentRomance: She's Nick's student as well as his lover.
* TooDumbToLive: Played with. While she's not nearly as careful as she should be, given her situation, Amy admits that Andie's smarter than she took her for -- she's careful with what she posts on social media, and knows when it's time to bail on Nick and get public sympathy on her side.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the movie, she just sort of vanishes after her press conference. Averted in the book, where Nick mentions that she began dating a guy her own age, and never replied to Nick when he texted her and apologized.
to:
!!Andie Hardy
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress.
!!Desi Collings
Amy's ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be about as crazy as she is. Played by
*
* CharacterDeath: Amy slashes his throat.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Desi ''loves'' playing the hero to damaged women. Many of his girlfriends after Amy had eating disorders or were suicidal. As Amy puts it, Desi's never happier than when he's sitting at someone's sickbed. So, Amy plays the abused wife so he'll come to her
* ControlFreak: At least in regards to Amy -- he wants her to go back to being the Amy he knew in high school, whether she wants to or not. This is one of the main reasons Amy realizes she needs to bail on Desi as soon as she can. Nick, at least, basically let her do what she wanted.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. According to Amy and her parents, Desi tried to kill himself in Amy's bed after Amy dumped him. When Nick mentions this to Desi, Desi claims he doesn't know what he's talking about. Turns out Desi was telling the truth -- while he ''was'' very clingy after Amy dumped him, that particular part of the story was made up by Amy in a ploy for sympathy.
* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead to protest or care.
* GildedCage: His house is very beautiful, but it's still basically a prison.
* MamasBoy: Like Nick, he's very close to his mother. Unlike Nick, the relationship is [[IncestSubtext downright creepy]].
* OutWithABang: In the book, Amy kills him right after sex. In the movie, she kills him ''during'' sex.
* PsychoExBoyfriend: Even years after Amy dumped him, he's still very much in love with her, and when she's staying in his house, he makes every effort to keep her there indefinitely.
* RedHerring: For most of the first half of the book, we're led to believe he killed or kidnapped Amy. He didn't.
*
* StalkerWithACrush: He never got over it when
* {{Yandere}}: He "protects" Amy by refusing to let her leave his
* {{Cuddlebug}}: Nick mentions that Andie's very much into touching
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her boyfriend is under investigation for ''murder'', and she complains that she hasn't called her.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played with -- Nick certainly sees her as one,
* TheMistress: Sleeping with the married Nick.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump
* TeacherStudentRomance: She's Nick's student as well as his lover.
* TooDumbToLive: Played with. While she's not nearly as careful as she should be, given her situation, Amy admits that Andie's smarter than she took her for -- she's careful with what she posts on social media, and knows when it's time to bail on Nick and get public sympathy on her side.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the movie, she just sort of vanishes after her press conference. Averted in the book, where Nick mentions that she began dating a guy her own age, and never replied to Nick when he texted her and apologized.
!Secondary Characters
[[folder:Andie Hardy]]
!!Andie Hardy
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski in the movie.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, her surname becomes Fitzgerald.
* {{Adorkable}}: {{Exploited}} during her press conference, where she comes off as cute, awkward, sweet, and nervous. This makes the public sympathize with her and allows her to escape the media shitstorm relatively unscathed.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Really the only way to describe someone who won't stay away from her boyfriend even when ''whether or not he's a suspect for murdering his wife'' depends on it.
* {{Cuddlebug}}: Nick mentions that Andie's very much into touching -- hugging, cuddling, touching someone's shoulder, and, of course, sex.
* HiddenDepths: She ''knows'' how to work the media to her advantage.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her boyfriend is under investigation for ''murder'', and she complains that she hasn't called her.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played with -- Nick certainly sees her as one, which is one of the main reasons Amy hates her, but she just makes matters worse for Nick in the end.
* TheMistress: Sleeping with the married Nick.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump her - "Fuck you. You think I'm some dumb kid, some pathetic student you can ''manage?'' I stick by you through all this - this talk about how you might be a murderer -m and as soon as it's a little tough for you? No, ''no''. You don't get to talk about conscience and decency and guilt and feel like you are doing the right thing. Do you understand me? Because you are a cheating, cowardly, selfish ''shit''."
* SmarterThanYouLook: Even Amy admits she's not exactly the dumb party girl she assumed she was.
* TeacherStudentRomance: She's Nick's student as well as his lover.
* TooDumbToLive: Played with. While she's not nearly as careful as she should be, given her situation, Amy admits that Andie's smarter than she took her for -- she's careful with what she posts on social media, and knows when it's time to bail on Nick and get public sympathy on her side.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the movie, she just sort of vanishes after her press conference. Averted in the book, where Nick mentions that she began dating a guy her own age, and never replied to Nick when he texted her and apologized.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Andie Hardy]]
!!Andie Hardy
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski in the movie.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, her surname becomes Fitzgerald.
* {{Adorkable}}: {{Exploited}} during her press conference, where she comes off as cute, awkward, sweet, and nervous. This makes the public sympathize with her and allows her to escape the media shitstorm relatively unscathed.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Really the only way to describe someone who won't stay away from her boyfriend even when ''whether or not he's a suspect for murdering his wife'' depends on it.
* {{Cuddlebug}}: Nick mentions that Andie's very much into touching -- hugging, cuddling, touching someone's shoulder, and, of course, sex.
* HiddenDepths: She ''knows'' how to work the media to her advantage.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her boyfriend is under investigation for ''murder'', and she complains that she hasn't called her.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played with -- Nick certainly sees her as one, which is one of the main reasons Amy hates her, but she just makes matters worse for Nick in the end.
* TheMistress: Sleeping with the married Nick.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump her - "Fuck you. You think I'm some dumb kid, some pathetic student you can ''manage?'' I stick by you through all this - this talk about how you might be a murderer -m and as soon as it's a little tough for you? No, ''no''. You don't get to talk about conscience and decency and guilt and feel like you are doing the right thing. Do you understand me? Because you are a cheating, cowardly, selfish ''shit''."
* SmarterThanYouLook: Even Amy admits she's not exactly the dumb party girl she assumed she was.
* TeacherStudentRomance: She's Nick's student as well as his lover.
* TooDumbToLive: Played with. While she's not nearly as careful as she should be, given her situation, Amy admits that Andie's smarter than she took her for -- she's careful with what she posts on social media, and knows when it's time to bail on Nick and get public sympathy on her side.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the movie, she just sort of vanishes after her press conference. Averted in the book, where Nick mentions that she began dating a guy her own age, and never replied to Nick when he texted her and apologized.
[[/folder]]
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[[folder: Desi Collings]]
!!Desi Collings
Amy's ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be about as crazy as she is. Played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris in the movie.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: In the movie, though maybe "psychotic" is a better term than "evil".
* CharacterDeath: Amy slashes his throat.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Desi ''loves'' playing the hero to damaged women. Many of his girlfriends after Amy had eating disorders or were suicidal. As Amy puts it, Desi's never happier than when he's sitting at someone's sickbed. So, Amy plays the abused wife so he'll come to her rescue.
* ControlFreak: At least in regards to Amy -- he wants her to go back to being the Amy he knew in high school, whether she wants to or not. This is one of the main reasons Amy realizes she needs to bail on Desi as soon as she can. Nick, at least, basically let her do what she wanted.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. According to Amy and her parents, Desi tried to kill himself in Amy's bed after Amy dumped him. When Nick mentions this to Desi, Desi claims he doesn't know what he's talking about. Turns out Desi was telling the truth -- while he ''was'' very clingy after Amy dumped him, that particular part of the story was made up by Amy in a ploy for sympathy.
* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead to protest or care.
* GildedCage: His house is very beautiful, but it's still basically a prison.
* MamasBoy: Like Nick, he's very close to his mother. Unlike Nick, the relationship is [[IncestSubtext downright creepy]].
* OutWithABang: In the book, Amy kills him right after sex. In the movie, she kills him ''during'' sex.
* PsychoExBoyfriend: Even years after Amy dumped him, he's still very much in love with her, and when she's staying in his house, he makes every effort to keep her there indefinitely.
* RedHerring: For most of the first half of the book, we're led to believe he killed or kidnapped Amy. He didn't.
* SharpDressedMan: He's always impeccably dressed.
* StalkerWithACrush: He never got over it when Amy dumped him.
* {{Yandere}}: He "protects" Amy by refusing to let her leave his house -- which itself has been ready for her arrival for ''years''.
[[/folder]]
!!Desi Collings
Amy's ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be about as crazy as she is. Played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris in the movie.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: In the movie, though maybe "psychotic" is a better term than "evil".
* CharacterDeath: Amy slashes his throat.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Desi ''loves'' playing the hero to damaged women. Many of his girlfriends after Amy had eating disorders or were suicidal. As Amy puts it, Desi's never happier than when he's sitting at someone's sickbed. So, Amy plays the abused wife so he'll come to her rescue.
* ControlFreak: At least in regards to Amy -- he wants her to go back to being the Amy he knew in high school, whether she wants to or not. This is one of the main reasons Amy realizes she needs to bail on Desi as soon as she can. Nick, at least, basically let her do what she wanted.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. According to Amy and her parents, Desi tried to kill himself in Amy's bed after Amy dumped him. When Nick mentions this to Desi, Desi claims he doesn't know what he's talking about. Turns out Desi was telling the truth -- while he ''was'' very clingy after Amy dumped him, that particular part of the story was made up by Amy in a ploy for sympathy.
* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead to protest or care.
* GildedCage: His house is very beautiful, but it's still basically a prison.
* MamasBoy: Like Nick, he's very close to his mother. Unlike Nick, the relationship is [[IncestSubtext downright creepy]].
* OutWithABang: In the book, Amy kills him right after sex. In the movie, she kills him ''during'' sex.
* PsychoExBoyfriend: Even years after Amy dumped him, he's still very much in love with her, and when she's staying in his house, he makes every effort to keep her there indefinitely.
* RedHerring: For most of the first half of the book, we're led to believe he killed or kidnapped Amy. He didn't.
* SharpDressedMan: He's always impeccably dressed.
* StalkerWithACrush: He never got over it when Amy dumped him.
* {{Yandere}}: He "protects" Amy by refusing to let her leave his house -- which itself has been ready for her arrival for ''years''.
[[/folder]]
to:
!!Desi Collings
Amy's ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be about as crazy as she is. Played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris in the movie.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: In the movie, though maybe "psychotic" is a better term than "evil".
* CharacterDeath: Amy slashes his throat.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Desi ''loves'' playing the hero to damaged women. Many of his girlfriends after Amy had eating disorders or were suicidal. As Amy puts it, Desi's never happier than when he's sitting at someone's sickbed. So, Amy plays the abused wife so he'll come to her rescue.
* ControlFreak: At least in regards to Amy -- he wants her to go back to being the Amy he knew in high school, whether she wants to or not. This is one of the main reasons Amy realizes she needs to bail on Desi as soon as she can. Nick, at least, basically let her do what she wanted.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. According to Amy and her parents, Desi tried to kill himself in Amy's bed after Amy dumped him. When Nick mentions this to Desi, Desi claims he doesn't know what he's talking about. Turns out Desi was telling the truth -- while he ''was'' very clingy after Amy dumped him, that particular part of the story was made up by Amy in a ploy for sympathy.
* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead to protest or care.
* GildedCage: His house is very beautiful, but it's still basically a prison.
* MamasBoy: Like Nick, he's very close to his mother. Unlike Nick, the relationship is [[IncestSubtext downright creepy]].
* OutWithABang: In the book, Amy kills him right after sex. In the movie, she kills him ''during'' sex.
* PsychoExBoyfriend: Even years after Amy dumped him, he's still very much in love with her, and when she's staying in his house, he makes every effort to keep her there indefinitely.
* RedHerring: For most of the first half of the book, we're led to believe he killed or kidnapped Amy. He didn't.
* SharpDressedMan: He's always impeccably dressed.
* StalkerWithACrush: He never got over it when Amy dumped him.
* {{Yandere}}: He "protects" Amy by refusing to let her leave his house -- which itself has been ready for her arrival for ''years''.
[[/folder]]
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* OnlyOneName: We never find out her last name, and Amy even doubts that "Greta" is her real first name.
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* SlaveToPR: By necessity, once the investigation begins and the media hones in on him as a suspect, but even before the whole thing happened, Nick's ''very'' concerned with coming off as a NiceGuy. As Go puts it, "You would lie, cheat, steal -- hell, even commit murder, just to convince people that you are a good guy."
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Greta]]
A young woman Amy meets while in hiding during the investigation. Played by Lola Kirke in the movie.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: She has a ''bad'' case of this, by her own admission. Though Greta's not exactly a nice girl herself.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Greta at first comes off as abrasive, but harmless and even pretty nice. Then she robs her friend blind. [[VillainProtagonist In her defense,]] [[TheSociopath the friend was a jerk]].
* BookDumb: She's not especially educated (though she does appear to like reading), but she ''is'' smart, and she knows how to get by with very little cash.
* DomesticAbuse: She's hiding out in the Ozarks after leaving her abusive boyfriend. She admits she goes through a lot of guys that beat her up.
* HiddenDepths: She likes to read Ray Bradbury novels in her downtime.
* KarmaHoudini: She never receives punishment for robbing Amy. Hard to feel sorry about this, though, considering it's ''[[TheSociopath Amy]]''.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Again, robbing Amy. After nearly two-hundred pages of Amy being a vindictive ManipulativeBitch with no comeuppance, Greta assaulting her and leaving her penniless is ''very'' welcome.
* LowerClassLout: A textbook example.
* SmarterThanYouLook: Amy assumes Greta's just a ditz she can control. ''Big'' mistake.
* SpannerInTheWorks: She's the reason Amy ends up having to go to Desi -- she was forced to call him after Greta robbed her.
[[folder:Greta]]
A young woman Amy meets while in hiding during the investigation. Played by Lola Kirke in the movie.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: She has a ''bad'' case of this, by her own admission. Though Greta's not exactly a nice girl herself.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Greta at first comes off as abrasive, but harmless and even pretty nice. Then she robs her friend blind. [[VillainProtagonist In her defense,]] [[TheSociopath the friend was a jerk]].
* BookDumb: She's not especially educated (though she does appear to like reading), but she ''is'' smart, and she knows how to get by with very little cash.
* DomesticAbuse: She's hiding out in the Ozarks after leaving her abusive boyfriend. She admits she goes through a lot of guys that beat her up.
* HiddenDepths: She likes to read Ray Bradbury novels in her downtime.
* KarmaHoudini: She never receives punishment for robbing Amy. Hard to feel sorry about this, though, considering it's ''[[TheSociopath Amy]]''.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Again, robbing Amy. After nearly two-hundred pages of Amy being a vindictive ManipulativeBitch with no comeuppance, Greta assaulting her and leaving her penniless is ''very'' welcome.
* LowerClassLout: A textbook example.
* SmarterThanYouLook: Amy assumes Greta's just a ditz she can control. ''Big'' mistake.
* SpannerInTheWorks: She's the reason Amy ends up having to go to Desi -- she was forced to call him after Greta robbed her.
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* CompositeCharacter: In the film, he takes over his wife's role of being TheSocialExpert. [[RaceLife And her race.]]
to:
* CompositeCharacter: In the film, he takes over his wife's role of being TheSocialExpert. [[RaceLife [[RaceLift And her race.]]
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* CompositeCharacter: In the film, he takes over his wife's role of being TheSocialExpert.
to:
* CompositeCharacter: In the film, he takes over his wife's role of being TheSocialExpert. [[RaceLife And her race.]]
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* BadassBoast: She has a couple:
-->'''Amy''': Did you think I'd let him destroy me and end up happier than ever? No fuckin' way.
-->'''Amy''': I'm the cunt you married. The only time you liked yourself was when you were trying to be someone this cunt might like. I'm not a quitter, I'm that cunt. I killed for you; who else can say that? You think you'd be happy with a nice Midwestern girl? No way, baby! I'm it.
-->'''Amy''': Did you think I'd let him destroy me and end up happier than ever? No fuckin' way.
-->'''Amy''': I'm the cunt you married. The only time you liked yourself was when you were trying to be someone this cunt might like. I'm not a quitter, I'm that cunt. I killed for you; who else can say that? You think you'd be happy with a nice Midwestern girl? No way, baby! I'm it.
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* ContraltoOfDanger: Once she reveals her true nature.
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* {{Tomboy}}: Something of a Deconstruction of one, actually. Growing up with a drunk, misogynistic father has made Go reluctant to be seen as stereotypically feminine for fear of being insulted and belittled by her father like her mother was.
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* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Nick in the books when he tries to dump her - "Fuck you. You think I'm some dumb kid, some pathetic student you can ''manage?'' I stick by you through all this - this talk about how you might be a murderer -m and as soon as it's a little tough for you? No, ''no''. You don't get to talk about conscience and decency and guilt and feel like you are doing the right thing. Do you understand me? Because you are a cheating, cowardly, selfish ''shit''.
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* WalkingSpoiler: It's hard to talk about her without revealing that she's a psycopath.
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* IceKing: He has trouble showing his emotions, especially to strangers, which does not endear him to the public.
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* TheMovieBuff: Which makes sense, since his former job was to write movie reviews.
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* PurelyAestheticGlasses: She doesn't need glasses, but wears some as part of her disguise when she's in hiding. Greta isn't fooled.
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!!Tanner Bolt
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!!Detective Rhonda Boney
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: Desi Collings]]
!!Desi Collings
Amy's ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be about as crazy as she is. Played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris in the movie.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: In the movie, though maybe "psychotic" is a better term than "evil".
* CharacterDeath: Amy slashes his throat.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Desi ''loves'' playing the hero to damaged women. Many of his girlfriends after Amy had eating disorders or were suicidal. As Amy puts it, Desi's never happier than when he's sitting at someone's sickbed. So, Amy plays the abused wife so he'll come to her rescue.
* ControlFreak: At least in regards to Amy -- he wants her to go back to being the Amy he knew in high school, whether she wants to or not. This is one of the main reasons Amy realizes she needs to bail on Desi as soon as she can. Nick, at least, basically let her do what she wanted.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. According to Amy and her parents, Desi tried to kill himself in Amy's bed after Amy dumped him. When Nick mentions this to Desi, Desi claims he doesn't know what he's talking about. Turns out Desi was telling the truth -- while he ''was'' very clingy after Amy dumped him, that particular part of the story was made up by Amy in a ploy for sympathy.
* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead to protest or care.
* GildedCage: His house is very beautiful, but it's still basically a prison.
* MamasBoy: Like Nick, he's very close to his mother. Unlike Nick, the relationship is [[IncestSubtext downright creepy]].
* OutWithABang: In the book, Amy kills him right after sex. In the movie, she kills him ''during'' sex.
* PsychoExBoyfriend: Even years after Amy dumped him, he's still very much in love with her, and when she's staying in his house, he makes every effort to keep her there indefinitely.
* RedHerring: For most of the first half of the book, we're led to believe he killed or kidnapped Amy. He didn't.
* SharpDressedMan: He's always impeccably dressed.
* StalkerWithACrush: He never got over it when Amy dumped him.
* {{Yandere}}: He "protects" Amy by refusing to let her leave his house -- which itself has been ready for her arrival for ''years''.
[[folder: Desi Collings]]
!!Desi Collings
Amy's ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be about as crazy as she is. Played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris in the movie.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: In the movie, though maybe "psychotic" is a better term than "evil".
* CharacterDeath: Amy slashes his throat.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Desi ''loves'' playing the hero to damaged women. Many of his girlfriends after Amy had eating disorders or were suicidal. As Amy puts it, Desi's never happier than when he's sitting at someone's sickbed. So, Amy plays the abused wife so he'll come to her rescue.
* ControlFreak: At least in regards to Amy -- he wants her to go back to being the Amy he knew in high school, whether she wants to or not. This is one of the main reasons Amy realizes she needs to bail on Desi as soon as she can. Nick, at least, basically let her do what she wanted.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. According to Amy and her parents, Desi tried to kill himself in Amy's bed after Amy dumped him. When Nick mentions this to Desi, Desi claims he doesn't know what he's talking about. Turns out Desi was telling the truth -- while he ''was'' very clingy after Amy dumped him, that particular part of the story was made up by Amy in a ploy for sympathy.
* FrameUp: Amy ultimately pins the blame of her disappearance on Desi, who's now too dead to protest or care.
* GildedCage: His house is very beautiful, but it's still basically a prison.
* MamasBoy: Like Nick, he's very close to his mother. Unlike Nick, the relationship is [[IncestSubtext downright creepy]].
* OutWithABang: In the book, Amy kills him right after sex. In the movie, she kills him ''during'' sex.
* PsychoExBoyfriend: Even years after Amy dumped him, he's still very much in love with her, and when she's staying in his house, he makes every effort to keep her there indefinitely.
* RedHerring: For most of the first half of the book, we're led to believe he killed or kidnapped Amy. He didn't.
* SharpDressedMan: He's always impeccably dressed.
* StalkerWithACrush: He never got over it when Amy dumped him.
* {{Yandere}}: He "protects" Amy by refusing to let her leave his house -- which itself has been ready for her arrival for ''years''.
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A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski.
to:
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski.
Ratajkowski in the movie.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, her surname becomes Fitzgerald.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, her surname becomes Fitzgerald.
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the movie, she just sort of vanishes after her press conference. Averted in the book, where Nick mentions that she began dating a guy her own age, and never replied to Nick when he texted her and apologized.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tanner Bolt]]
A lawyer known for defending men accused of killing their wives, who Nick eventually hires when things start going south for him. Played by Creator/TylerPerry in the movie.
* AmoralAttorney: Played with. Tanner has a reputation of being this, certainly willing to defend amoral people, but he's actually a decent guy.
* CompositeCharacter: In the film, he takes over his wife's role of being TheSocialExpert.
* DeadpanSnarker: "You two are the most fucked-up people I've ever met. And I specialize in fucked-up people."
* HappilyMarried: He and his wife, Betsy, are incredibly happy together.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a cocky attorney known for defending murderers, and he doesn't come cheap. Despite that, he believes Nick when he professes his innocence, and genuinely wants to see Amy go down, and is upset when he realizes that that isn't going to happen.
* OnlySaneMan: He's relatively unaffected by the Elliot-Dunne family's insanity, and he likes it that way.
* RaceLift: In the book, he's white, but in the movie, he's played by the black Tyler Perry.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: He and his wife at home. It's meant in a lighthearted, loving way, though.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Detective Boney]]
One of the cops assigned to the case. Played by Kim Dickens in the movie.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the book, she's described as ugly, which Kim Dickens most certainly is not.
* AlwaysOnDuty: She's working the case day and night.
* GenreSavvy: Even when things start looking bad for Nick, she always has a feeling that something's not ''quite'' right, despite all the evidence piling up.
* IronLady: She's tough, intelligent, and determined.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tanner Bolt]]
A lawyer known for defending men accused of killing their wives, who Nick eventually hires when things start going south for him. Played by Creator/TylerPerry in the movie.
* AmoralAttorney: Played with. Tanner has a reputation of being this, certainly willing to defend amoral people, but he's actually a decent guy.
* CompositeCharacter: In the film, he takes over his wife's role of being TheSocialExpert.
* DeadpanSnarker: "You two are the most fucked-up people I've ever met. And I specialize in fucked-up people."
* HappilyMarried: He and his wife, Betsy, are incredibly happy together.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a cocky attorney known for defending murderers, and he doesn't come cheap. Despite that, he believes Nick when he professes his innocence, and genuinely wants to see Amy go down, and is upset when he realizes that that isn't going to happen.
* OnlySaneMan: He's relatively unaffected by the Elliot-Dunne family's insanity, and he likes it that way.
* RaceLift: In the book, he's white, but in the movie, he's played by the black Tyler Perry.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: He and his wife at home. It's meant in a lighthearted, loving way, though.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Detective Boney]]
One of the cops assigned to the case. Played by Kim Dickens in the movie.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the book, she's described as ugly, which Kim Dickens most certainly is not.
* AlwaysOnDuty: She's working the case day and night.
* GenreSavvy: Even when things start looking bad for Nick, she always has a feeling that something's not ''quite'' right, despite all the evidence piling up.
* IronLady: She's tough, intelligent, and determined.
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* TeacherStudentRomance: Nick's sleeping with his student, Andie.
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* FakingTheDead: Turns out she wasn't murdered or kidnapped -- she just wanted everyone to think she was.
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* MostWritersAreWriters: She wrote quizzes for magazines before getting laid off.
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* RapeAsBackstory: Subverted. She was apparently raped by her ex-boyfriend Tommy O'Hara, but this was all a set-up to get back at him for seeing other girls. She also told Desi she was [[ParentalIncest raped by her father]], and wrote in her (fake) diary that [[MaritalRapeLicense Nick forced her into sex]], but both of these claims can be taken with a grain of salt.
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Invoked -- she spends much of her preparation for her "death" making sure people would miss her, acting friendly and social to neighbors and creating a diary filled with fabricated accounts of her husband abusing her. By the end, only Nick, Margo, Boney, Tanner, Desi's mother, Tommy and Hilary know the truth about her. The general public doesn't have a clue, hailing Amy as a hero and blameless victim.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Andie Hardy]]
!!Andie Hardy
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Really the only way to describe someone who won't stay away from her boyfriend even when ''whether or not he's a suspect for murdering his wife'' depends on it.
* {{Cuddlebug}}: Nick mentions that Andie's very much into touching -- hugging, cuddling, touching someone's shoulder, and, of course, sex.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her boyfriend is under investigation for ''murder'', and she complains that she hasn't called her.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played with -- Nick certainly sees her as one, which is one of the main reasons Amy hates her, but she just makes matters worse for Nick in the end.
* TheMistress: Sleeping with the married Nick.
* TeacherStudentRomance: She's Nick's student as well as his lover.
* TooDumbToLive: Played with. While she's not nearly as careful as she should be, given her situation, Amy admits that Andie's smarter than she took her for -- she's careful with what she posts on social media, and knows when it's time to bail on Nick and get public sympathy on her side.
[[folder:Andie Hardy]]
!!Andie Hardy
A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Emily Ratajkowski.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Really the only way to describe someone who won't stay away from her boyfriend even when ''whether or not he's a suspect for murdering his wife'' depends on it.
* {{Cuddlebug}}: Nick mentions that Andie's very much into touching -- hugging, cuddling, touching someone's shoulder, and, of course, sex.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her boyfriend is under investigation for ''murder'', and she complains that she hasn't called her.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played with -- Nick certainly sees her as one, which is one of the main reasons Amy hates her, but she just makes matters worse for Nick in the end.
* TheMistress: Sleeping with the married Nick.
* TeacherStudentRomance: She's Nick's student as well as his lover.
* TooDumbToLive: Played with. While she's not nearly as careful as she should be, given her situation, Amy admits that Andie's smarter than she took her for -- she's careful with what she posts on social media, and knows when it's time to bail on Nick and get public sympathy on her side.
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* EmbarrassingFirstName: "Someone with my name does not need to be called Nick."
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* EmbarrassingFirstName: "Someone with my name face does not need to be called Nick.Lance."
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* HeManWomanHater: He very much ''doesn't'' want to be one, but shades of his father's own rabid misogyny comes through every now and again.
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* IAmNotMyFather: Nick despises his father and doesn't want to turn out anything like him. [[AbusiveParents It's not hard to understand why]].
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* TheDeterminator: Once Amy decides to punish somebody, it ''will'' happen. No matter ''what''.
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* DudeMagnet: Which, depending on the situation, can be either a strength or a downfall for Amy.
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* FemmeFatale: Amy knows perfectly well how to use her sex appeal to her advantage, and is definitely dangerous (if not fatal) to every man that knows her.
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* StepfordSmiler: Amy comes off as an elegant, cheerful, well-adjusted lady, but beneath the mask, she's a vicious, insane, manipulative, schemer... and beneath that, she's almost empty inside.
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* AudienceSurrogate: Go often says what the audience is thinking -- including, "Nick, you ''fucking'' idiot."
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* [[SirSwearsALot Lady Swears-A-Lot]]: Befitting her masculine personality, Go's pretty heavy on the profanity.
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* ConsummateLiar: Amy rarely, if ever, tells the complete truth, even when it's in her best interest.
* CrazyPrepared: Amy prepares for over a year to fake her own death and frame Nick for it, doing a lot of research to get every last detail perfect.
* CrazyPrepared: Amy prepares for over a year to fake her own death and frame Nick for it, doing a lot of research to get every last detail perfect.
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* BitchInSheepsClothing: Amy seems like a nice, worldly, funny, charming girl, but is in fact a ruthless sociopath.
* {{Foil}}: To Go -- Amy's traditionally feminine, elegant, sophisticated, and seems like the ideal woman, but is evil at her core, unlike Go.
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* LackOfEmapthy: She's genuinely puzzled by other people's empathy for others.
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* LackOfEmapthy: LackOfEmpathy: She's genuinely puzzled by other people's empathy for others.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Margo Dunne]]
!!Margo "Go" Dunne
Nick's twin sister, and his main ally after Amy disappears. Played by Carrie Coon in the movie.
* DeadpanSnarker: Which is basically her only means of survival throughout the story.
* {{Foil}}: To Amy -- Go's masculine, rude, crude, and is far less superficially charming than Amy, but is ultimately a better person.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's rather abrasive and rude, but ultimately, Go's one of the most moral people in the book.
* TheLadette: She enjoys "masculine" things such as hard liquor and dirty jokes, and dislikes traditionally feminine things.
* {{Meganekko}}: In the movie, she wears a cute pair of glasses.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Nick, her twin brother and best friend.
* TheUnfavorite: She believes her parents favored Nick -- her father, because Nick's male. Nick sees where she's coming from there.
* WhatTheHellHero: She ''rips'' into Nick for cheating on Amy, not telling her about it, and then ''lying to the cops''.
[[folder:Margo Dunne]]
!!Margo "Go" Dunne
Nick's twin sister, and his main ally after Amy disappears. Played by Carrie Coon in the movie.
* DeadpanSnarker: Which is basically her only means of survival throughout the story.
* {{Foil}}: To Amy -- Go's masculine, rude, crude, and is far less superficially charming than Amy, but is ultimately a better person.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's rather abrasive and rude, but ultimately, Go's one of the most moral people in the book.
* TheLadette: She enjoys "masculine" things such as hard liquor and dirty jokes, and dislikes traditionally feminine things.
* {{Meganekko}}: In the movie, she wears a cute pair of glasses.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Nick, her twin brother and best friend.
* TheUnfavorite: She believes her parents favored Nick -- her father, because Nick's male. Nick sees where she's coming from there.
* WhatTheHellHero: She ''rips'' into Nick for cheating on Amy, not telling her about it, and then ''lying to the cops''.
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'''WARNING:''' Due to the many twists and turns present in the book, NO SPOILERS WILL BE MARKED. Read the book or see the movie before reading if you wish to go in unspoiled.
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Nick Dunne]]
!!Lance Nicholas "Nick" Dunne
An ex-writer, now a college professor, who becomes the prime suspect when his wife, Amy, disappears. Played by Creator/BenAffleck in the movie.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Mildly. He comes off as a much nicer, more normal guy in the movie.
* AntiHero: It'd be a stretch to call Nick a good guy, but in the end, he's the one keeping Amy in check and making sure she can't ever do to anyone else what she did to him.
* DeadpanSnarker: Nick has an incredibly wry and sarcastic sense of humor.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: "Someone with my name does not need to be called Nick."
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Nick isn't the nicest or most moral fellow around, but he did genuinely love his mother.
* FrameUp: He didn't actually kill Amy, but she went to great lengths to make it ''look'' like he did.
* HappilyMarried: At first, his marriage to Amy was as close to perfect as it could be. Not so much by the time the book begins.
* HenpeckedHusband: By the end, he's essentially this for Amy, not daring to rebel against her for fear of what she may do.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Maybe not quite "heroic", but Nick is certainly very aware of his flaws and doesn't hesitate to lampshade them.
* PapaWolf: He stays with Amy when he finds out she's pregnant, so he can protect their unborn child from her.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.
* MamasBoy: He positively ''adores'' his mother, and was devastated by her death.
* ManipulativeBastard: Shows off his skills when he manages to get the media (and Amy) back on his side.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He used to write for a magazine before getting laid off.
* TheSociopath: He ticks off many qualities, but he's nowhere near as bad as Amy.
* UnreliableNarrator: He omits important plot points in his narration.
* YourCheatingHeart: His infidelity is one of the main reasons Amy decides to punish him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Amy Elliot Dunne]]
!!Amy Elliot Dunne
Nick's wife, the daughter of a famous pair of authors who made a book series named after her. Goes missing on the morning of her and Nick's fifth wedding anniversary, and all the evidence begins to point to Nick... exactly as Amy hoped it would. Played by Creator/RosamundPike in the movie.
* AlphaBitch: In her high school days, though she did a good job of concealing it -- just ask Hilary.
* AxCrazy: Amy's craziness is subtle at first, but the more we get to know her, the more obvious it is that she's completely nuts.
* BlondesAreEvil: Are they ever!
* TheChessmaster: She was behind almost everything that happened in the book.
* CuteButPsycho: She's gorgeous, and completely insane.
* DeadpanSnarker: Subtler than Nick, but she's still very sarcastic.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The absolute queen of this trope. Amy will make you look like a violent psycho for forgetting she's allergic to strawberries, frame you for rape for dating casually and seeing other girls, and frame you for murder for cheating on her.
* DumbBlonde: Inverted. She's brilliant, and hoo boy, does she want you to know it.
* InsufferableGenius: A bit. Amy's very, very intelligent, and she wants everyone, including the reader, to know it.
* ItsAllAboutMe: As far as Amy's concerned, she's always right. Always. And anyone that disagrees deserves to have her wrath rained down upon them.
* LackOfEmapthy: She's genuinely puzzled by other people's empathy for others.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Subverted. At first she seems to be a "Cool Girl", a smart, funny, laid-back woman who's impossibly gorgeous and loads of fun to be around, but this was all an act. She lambastes both the trope and the people that believe it, but she also admits that for Nick, she was willing to give it a try.
* ManipulativeBitch: She plays the media, her husband, the cops, Desi, and even the readers like a fiddle.
* PsychopathicManchild: How else do you describe someone who's ruined people's lives, up to and including framing them for murder, for slights, both real and imagined, that most people would've just talked to people about?
* RichBitch: She was raised in wealth, and is a highly immoral sociopath.
* SmugSnake: She's ''very'' confident in herself, and for the most part has the skills to back it up, but she does overestimate herself at times -- and ''underestimate'' others.
* TheSociopath: Amy has absolutely no empathy for anyone, is highly self-centered, and is willing to lie, cheat, steal and murder to get what she wants.
* SoftSpokenSadist: In the film, she never raises her voice above a normal speaking tone.
* TheUnfavorite: She managed to be this to "Amazing Amy", who doesn't even ''exist'', as well as several stillborn babies that her parents had before her.
* UnreliableNarrator: In her diary entries in the first part of the book, she outright lied about many of the events described. Even in her own internal monologue, some of the things she describes are clearly influenced by her own rather warped point of view.
* VillainProtagonist: The book is just as much about Amy as it is about Nick.
* WomanScorned: Her response to finding out Nick is cheating on her? Frame him for murder.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Nothing excuses what she did, but she's pretty clearly severely messed up, and she's at least somewhat aware of this.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She'll do ''anything'' to come off as the victim in any given situation.
[[/folder]]
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Nick Dunne]]
!!Lance Nicholas "Nick" Dunne
An ex-writer, now a college professor, who becomes the prime suspect when his wife, Amy, disappears. Played by Creator/BenAffleck in the movie.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Mildly. He comes off as a much nicer, more normal guy in the movie.
* AntiHero: It'd be a stretch to call Nick a good guy, but in the end, he's the one keeping Amy in check and making sure she can't ever do to anyone else what she did to him.
* DeadpanSnarker: Nick has an incredibly wry and sarcastic sense of humor.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: "Someone with my name does not need to be called Nick."
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Nick isn't the nicest or most moral fellow around, but he did genuinely love his mother.
* FrameUp: He didn't actually kill Amy, but she went to great lengths to make it ''look'' like he did.
* HappilyMarried: At first, his marriage to Amy was as close to perfect as it could be. Not so much by the time the book begins.
* HenpeckedHusband: By the end, he's essentially this for Amy, not daring to rebel against her for fear of what she may do.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Maybe not quite "heroic", but Nick is certainly very aware of his flaws and doesn't hesitate to lampshade them.
* PapaWolf: He stays with Amy when he finds out she's pregnant, so he can protect their unborn child from her.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With his twin sister, Margo.
* MamasBoy: He positively ''adores'' his mother, and was devastated by her death.
* ManipulativeBastard: Shows off his skills when he manages to get the media (and Amy) back on his side.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He used to write for a magazine before getting laid off.
* TheSociopath: He ticks off many qualities, but he's nowhere near as bad as Amy.
* UnreliableNarrator: He omits important plot points in his narration.
* YourCheatingHeart: His infidelity is one of the main reasons Amy decides to punish him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Amy Elliot Dunne]]
!!Amy Elliot Dunne
Nick's wife, the daughter of a famous pair of authors who made a book series named after her. Goes missing on the morning of her and Nick's fifth wedding anniversary, and all the evidence begins to point to Nick... exactly as Amy hoped it would. Played by Creator/RosamundPike in the movie.
* AlphaBitch: In her high school days, though she did a good job of concealing it -- just ask Hilary.
* AxCrazy: Amy's craziness is subtle at first, but the more we get to know her, the more obvious it is that she's completely nuts.
* BlondesAreEvil: Are they ever!
* TheChessmaster: She was behind almost everything that happened in the book.
* CuteButPsycho: She's gorgeous, and completely insane.
* DeadpanSnarker: Subtler than Nick, but she's still very sarcastic.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The absolute queen of this trope. Amy will make you look like a violent psycho for forgetting she's allergic to strawberries, frame you for rape for dating casually and seeing other girls, and frame you for murder for cheating on her.
* DumbBlonde: Inverted. She's brilliant, and hoo boy, does she want you to know it.
* InsufferableGenius: A bit. Amy's very, very intelligent, and she wants everyone, including the reader, to know it.
* ItsAllAboutMe: As far as Amy's concerned, she's always right. Always. And anyone that disagrees deserves to have her wrath rained down upon them.
* LackOfEmapthy: She's genuinely puzzled by other people's empathy for others.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Subverted. At first she seems to be a "Cool Girl", a smart, funny, laid-back woman who's impossibly gorgeous and loads of fun to be around, but this was all an act. She lambastes both the trope and the people that believe it, but she also admits that for Nick, she was willing to give it a try.
* ManipulativeBitch: She plays the media, her husband, the cops, Desi, and even the readers like a fiddle.
* PsychopathicManchild: How else do you describe someone who's ruined people's lives, up to and including framing them for murder, for slights, both real and imagined, that most people would've just talked to people about?
* RichBitch: She was raised in wealth, and is a highly immoral sociopath.
* SmugSnake: She's ''very'' confident in herself, and for the most part has the skills to back it up, but she does overestimate herself at times -- and ''underestimate'' others.
* TheSociopath: Amy has absolutely no empathy for anyone, is highly self-centered, and is willing to lie, cheat, steal and murder to get what she wants.
* SoftSpokenSadist: In the film, she never raises her voice above a normal speaking tone.
* TheUnfavorite: She managed to be this to "Amazing Amy", who doesn't even ''exist'', as well as several stillborn babies that her parents had before her.
* UnreliableNarrator: In her diary entries in the first part of the book, she outright lied about many of the events described. Even in her own internal monologue, some of the things she describes are clearly influenced by her own rather warped point of view.
* VillainProtagonist: The book is just as much about Amy as it is about Nick.
* WomanScorned: Her response to finding out Nick is cheating on her? Frame him for murder.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Nothing excuses what she did, but she's pretty clearly severely messed up, and she's at least somewhat aware of this.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She'll do ''anything'' to come off as the victim in any given situation.
[[/folder]]
