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| Plot Summary of Put A Lid On It |
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"
Donald E. Westlake
Mysterious, Apr 2002, 23.95, 247 pp.
ISBN: 0892967188
As he sits in the holding area of the Manhattan Correctional Center, Francis Xavier Meehan wonders why the gods loathe him. He knows not to mess with the Feds, but how was he to realize the truck contained US mail when it failed to have any logo. Feeling a bit of the blues due to his bad luck, Francis expects the worst when even bail is denied.
Instead a presidential reelection committee member arrives to offer Francis a deal. The charges will be dropped if Meehan steals a video that makes the president look so bad his sure shot reelection would flush down the toilet. Francis puts together a team of pros (no Watergate amateurs on his squad) and travels to the upstate New York estate of the owner of the sacred video. However, Beltway insiders who could not locate Albany, New York from Albany, Georgia and a bunch of Middle East espionage agents obstruct Francis and his team. Then there is the other party's personal felon team to compete with for the grand prize.
Donald E. Westlake provides his usual wild satirical look at modern society foibles in his latest crime caper, PUT A LID ON IT. The story line is amusing and exciting as Francis slowly unravels the truth behind the deal with the devil that he struck. Fans of amusing mysteries will relish Mr. Westlake's axing of the American presidential election system starting with the truism that the only lesson learned by the DC crowd from Watergate is to use professional thieves when breaking and entering to steal something.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"Francis Xavier Meehan is a thief - normally, a pretty good one. But some unforeseen problems with his last job have landed him in a federal prison (that truck was supposed to be full of computer chips, not U.S. mail), awaiting trial, conviction, and permanent imprisonment. A member of the President's re-election committee, who offers him a deal. Meehan can get out of jail free, and his crimes will disappear - provided he steals some hard evidence, currently in the hands of a singularly unpleasant opponent, that could lose the election for the President. Meehan, with the help of Elaine Goldfarb (the only lawyer he *knows* isn't working for the re-election committee) and a team of professional cons, has to carry out the theft, prevent double-crosses, mend his life, and get to juvenile court - all in less than a week. That hardly leaves him any time to cope with the terrorists or the political machinations, but in the end, Meehan will successfully put a lid on the whole thing."
Ivy, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Put A Lid On It |
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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 - 55%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 15%
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- power struggle within govt between two factions
- election campaign
- political blackmail
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- president gone bad
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- thief/con artist
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- wealthy
- mastermind
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
- wild
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
- power
The antagonists are:
- racists/KKK
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Dumb
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- physically sick
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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