Most of the important characters in The Old Dick are recognizable detective fiction figures of the 1930s who have survived into old age. In addition to Jake Spanner, these include Sal Piccolo, a once-powerful underworld figure who has spent thirty years in prison; Barbara Twill, formerly known as "Bubbles," who now supports herself as a bookie; and Patrick O'Brien, a retired cop of the desk-shunning "tough but straight" variety. These and other characters find their declining years economically stringent and stultifyingly boring when they recall their better days, and all welcome the excitement when Spanner's case provides something novel for them to do.

Some characters, such as a rising psychotic hood and his moronic muscleman, are exaggerated versions of standard detective fiction types, but others are caricatures brought in to satirize specific aspects both of detective fiction and of old age. For example, instead of having a virile...