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D is for Deadbeat
Sue Grafton Book Review

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Plot Summary of D is for Deadbeat
"Kinsey Millhone has an easy job, deliver $25,000 to a 15 year old kid. After the retainer check turned up phoney, and her client turns up dead, Kinsey is caught up with a whole host of people who were delighted to hear of her client's death. "
Darcey, Resident Scholar

"Kinsey Millhone has another puzzle to solve. Her client, Alvin Limbardo came to her with a $25,000 dollar check. She was to deliver it to a fifteen-year-old kid. The check turned out to be as phony as Alvin himself was. In real life, his name was John Daggett, a chronic drunk with a record as long as your arm and a reputation for sleazy deals. But he wasn't just a deadbeat. By the time Kinsey caught up to him, he was a dead person-with a whole host of people who wanted him dead. Kinsey the has a murder case to solve. Who killed John Daggett? It could be one of four people.Kinsey does her research to find out which one."
Boppy, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of D is for Deadbeat
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).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 55%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - Dry-cynical - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given - Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 50% - 80%
Murder of certain profession? - criminals
Misc. Murder Plotlets - "All in the family" murder
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American - hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - searching for $$$/treasure - grudge
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
The antagonists are: - rednecks
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California
City? Yes
City: - Los Angeles

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 1 - 3-4
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - homosexuals doing their thing
Unusual forms of death - dropped from large heights - drowned - perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to D is for Deadbeat
E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton
Money, Money, Money by Ed McBain
The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri
B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton
Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton


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Sue Grafton Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Gordon  

SCHOLARS:
Amy Honan  Crystal  Joan Sellarole  Fenella  Tena van't Foort  Mariana  BethG  Amy in Wisconsin  Felicia Jordan  


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