Character Analysis
The Cab Driver
This lucky fellow gets to shepherd Horace and Nina to Nefley's place. He asks if they're "Going to a party" (20.78) because they're dressed like vampires. He must be used to dealing with weirdos, though, because he goes off on a tangent about his own exploits at costume parties.
The cab driver loses his cool when Horace can't pay the fare, saying: "either I drive you to where you can get some money, or I'm calling the police right now" (20.124). Luckily, Dave shows up to save the day, and the cab driver gets paid and drives away without being enlightened about the vampiric nature of his passengers.
The Fighting Ring Guests
What kind of people do you expect would attend an illegal werewolf fighting ring? Shady ones. Which is exactly what Nina, Dave, and Father Ramon find when they arrive at Barry McKinnon's place, and scope out some of the other guests. They're all men, and "they were dressed in dull, dingy colors, with caps or hats pulled down low over their eyes" (10.19)—nothing's shadier than hiding your eyes. Among the crowd, there's the van driver, who "kept his head low and his shoulders hunched" (10.23), and a "fat man" (10.36) who goes by Russell.
Closer to the fighting ring, the characters we know and love get jostled by these anonymous men who are there for the spectacle. Overall, none of these dudes sound very nice.
Forrest Darwell
This American millionaire wants to buy Reuben from the McKinnons. He runs "his own illegal werewolf fights in Colorado" and "had been visiting various countries in the southern hemisphere, looking for more 'stock,' and had been most impressed with Reuben's fighting ability" (16.46). Ugh.
At first the McKinnons want more money than he's willing to give, but then they invite him to Australia to make the sale because they're desperate for money to make a getaway. Darwell seems into it. He barely escapes the sting operation the vamps set up to catch him, and he apparently tries to take it out on the McKinnons afterward, but they've gone into hiding by this point. Still, we're not sure if this is the last they'll hear from Darwell—he has the money needed to really pursue his hobby, after all.
Maud
Maud was Sanford's wife back when he was infected in the early 20th century by Casimir. Luckily she had her act together: She "was a former nurse; she had also read Dracula, and was quickly able to work out what had happened" (3.8). Together, she and Sanford developed a supplement to help vampires adapt to their condition and not need human blood to survive.
In the book, Maud's long dead, which really stinks for Sanford. Apparently "she had refused to become a vampire on her deathbed" (3.13), which was hard on Sanford—they could've had more time together if she's only been willing. That said, after spending so much time close to vampires, we completely understand why she didn't want to become one.
Mr. Kyrillis
This guy is lives in the same neighborhood as Nina's mom, and he is apparently part of a "vicious feud about tree roots" (28.109). On the night when Dermid infects Barry and then comes back to the house with Nefley as a hostage, Mr. Kyrillis complains about all the noise, but luckily doesn't call the police. Also, luckily for him, he doesn't realize that he's dealing with vampires, werewolves, and criminals. Eek.
Nefley's Neighbor
When Nina, Horace, and Dave are rescuing Reuben at 3:00 AM, they make enough noise that Nefley's upstairs neighbor comes to chew them out. She's a "short, heavy middle-aged woman in a dressing gown" (22.114), and as she expresses her displeasure, Nina notices "Her English was heavily accented" (22.119). Luckily she accepts Nina's excuses and goes away before she can find out that Nefley's place is full of vampires and werewolf smugglers.
Orlando
This is the werewolf who goes up against Reuben in the illegal fighting match. He's big and scary-looking, with a black pelt. He looks like he might be more than a match for Reuben: "For such an awkward-looking animal it was surprisingly quick, and displayed remarkable agility" (11.3). Spoiler: Reuben wins the match, and kills Orlando. Poor critter.
The Truckers
When Nina, Dave, and Father Ramon stop to get gas on their way from Sydney to Cobar, they run into some truckers who look like they might be trouble: "The bald trucker, who had preceded us out of the shop, was now standing near our bright orange van. His arms were folded, and there was a frown on his face. With him was another huge truck driver with gray hair and a beer belly" (8.86). Uh-oh…
The two truckers are staring at the van and having a muttered conversation. What about? The squealing guinea pig sounds coming from within. Nina wigs out and goes into way too much detail about how the guinea pigs aren't being mistreated, and luckily the truckers leave without causing a scene. Hey, it's not so improbable that some truckers might care about animal welfare, right? Right. Truckers have feelings, too.