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Border Dogs
Karen Palmer Book Review

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Plot Summary of Border Dogs
"

Soho, 2002, 12.00, 293 pp.
ISBN: 1569473536

Perhaps California border patrol cop James Reese understands the “line” separating his home state from Mexico better than most people because he is a mixed blood having a Mexican mother and an Anglo father. As part of a smoking team flushing out the human “coyotes” from their hiding places in the border desert, James almost dies when his equipment malfunctions. He wonders if peer Leo Tutrone sabotaged his apparatus because of Mercedes, who was the former's girlfriend but is now married to the latter.

Reese soon has more reasons to suspect Leo is up to no good when he learns that his rival has ties to deadly coyote Richard “Anteater” Serrano. Reese investigates the Anteater, who was a key player in the conviction of Reese's biological father for murdering a pregnant woman. Reese believes that his now deceased father was framed by the Anteater and his odious associates, but why and where does Leo fit in is what he wants to know.

This is a delightful police procedural due to the solid underpinning (brilliantly described by Karen Palmer) of the ever going “war” between the coyotes and the border cops. The strong cast makes the tale as readers will feel the desert border through both sides f the line. Especially solid is the hero who struggles in his personal life, wonders if a colleague is betraying him, and has a vendetta against a certain nasty coyote. All this supports a fun investigation that will send readers like this reviewer seeking Ms. Palmer's first novel, ALL SAINTS.

Harriet Klausner

"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Border Dogs
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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 - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets: - vigilante getting revenge
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - breaking up gang
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by killer/stalker

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
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 - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - Mexico

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 - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Border Dogs
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Glitz by Elmore Leonard
Pyro by Earl Emerson


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