Major characters
Burnt Offerings features the following major characters.
- Anita Blake: Anita becomes even more deeply enmeshed in the supernatural world, as she accepts the role of Nimir-Ra of the St. Louis pard and becomes deeper enmeshed in her roles as Jean-Claude's human servant and the lupa of the Thronos Rokke clan of werewolves. Meanwhile, her romantic life grows more complicated as she and Richard enchange power and continue to argue over their relationship. Finally, Anita develops or explores three new powers - her control over the vampires she has raised (Damian and Willie), her ability to cause harm from a distance with a slashing attack similar to some vampires, and her ability to call Raina's munin to heal or harm.
- Jean-Claude: Burnt Offerings continues an ongoing plotline as Jean-Claude struggles to assert control over his newly acquired territory and to assert independence in the larger vampire world. Meanwhile, Jean-Claude maneuvers Anita into admitting their romantic relationship publicly, and begins a reconciliation with Asher.
- Richard: Richard continues his downward spiral after Anita's rejection in the previous novel, The Killing Dance . Anita learns that Richard is unable to accept his werewolf nature, making him vulnerable to challenge and interfering with his ability to lead and protect the pack. Unable to repair Richard, Anita attempts to contain the damage by preventing anyone from challenging Richard, and by defending the pack herself.
Other characters
Recurring characters in Burnt Offerings include:
- Anita's friends and coworkers Larry and Ronnie.
- Police officers Dolph, Zerbrowski, Clive Perry, and Tammy Reynolds. Burnt Offerings shows Dolph's mistrust of Anita increasing as she continues to date Jean-Claude, and introduces Tammy, RPIT's first witch officer;
- Werewolves Irving, Jason, Jamil, Stephen, Sylvie and Teddy;
- Wereleopards Cherry, Elizabeth, Nathaniel, Vivian, and Zane;
- Wererats Lillian and Rafael;
- Vampires Asher (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter), Damian, Liv, and Willie; and
- Jean-Claude's human flunky Ernie.
Non-recurring characters include:
- Gwen: Sylvie Barker's girlfriend, a psychiatrist and a powerful werewolf, with long wavy blond hair and a dainty, "china doll" appearance.
- Hannah: One of Jean-Claude's vampires. Hannah is also dating Willie McCoy.
- Captain Pete McKinnon : A fire captain who Dolph refers to Anita for help with a series of pyrokinetic arson crimes.
- Vampire Council members The Traveler and The Master of Beasts.
- Vampire Council retainers Balthasar, Gideon, and Captain Thomas Carswell.
- Non-dominant werewolves Kevin and Lorraine , who Anita forces to protect Stephen and Nathaniel along with non-recurring character Teddy.
The death toll in Burnt Offerings includes:
- An unnamed assassin from Humans First, shot by Anita and Ronnie;
- Yvette and Warrick, burned to death by Warrick's pyrokinesis;
- Fernando and Liv, presumably tortured to death by Sylvie;
- Harry , a centuries-old vampire with brown hair, owner of "Burnt Offerings," a vampire-themed theme restaurant. Harry was part of Morte d'Amour's bloodline, and cooperated with Yvette in her scheme to force a vampire-human war. Presumably, he was killed by Jean-Claude's vampires after the events of the novel.
