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| Plot Summary of Vertical Burn |
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Ballantine, Apr 2000, 24.95, 400 pp.
ISBN: 0345445899
In Seattle, veteran firefighters John Finney and Bill Cordifies are searching for trapped people inside a nasty fire at Leary Way when a wall collapses. Bill is pinned under a segment of the wall so John goes after help. He finds Fire Chief Charlie Reese and firefighter Robert Kub. They follow John's directions, but return empty-handed. Afterward, Charlie tells the press that John panicked and said zilch to him about deserting his partner leaving him behind to die.
John is ostracized by just about everyone while Charlie is a hero. Every day for the next several months, John goes over what happened in that inferno and what he could have done differently. He concludes he did nothing wrong, and that the odious Charlie used the chaos at the scene to further his own career perhaps at the cost of Bill's life. Unless he can break Robert, John knows his chances of proof are slim while the odds of his remaining a pariah to his peers are a sure thing.
When VERTICAL BURN follows John and Bill into the fire and its aftermath on the former, the novel is one of the best firefighting thrillers in several years. However, a well-written subplot involving a conspiracy slows down the insightful prime theme. Still John is a hero struggling with vindication for his character reminding the audience of a merging of the two brothers in the movie Turk 186. Earl Emerson is the duke of this sub-genre and his latest thriller proves how regal a writer he is.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Vertical Burn |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 70%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Legal Thriller
Yes
Legal Plotlets
- finding out whether someone is really guilty
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- champion of justice
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Pacific NW
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Earl Emerson Resident Scholar Profiles
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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