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| Plot Summary of The Road to Ruin |
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"
Mysterious Press, April 2004, 25.00, 342 pp.
ISBN 08929680130
Once he was society's darling, invited to all the posh social events of the season, but now Monroe Hall doesn't ever leave his Pennsylvanian estate and nobody he used to call friend comes calling. As an executive officer in a well to do company, he embezzled funds that belonged to the workers and the investors. A fleet of high powered lawyers have kept him out of jail and even though he declared bankruptcy, he is still living an affluent lifestyle.
Many people are out to get Monroe Hall including his investors who lost everything and three union workers who want justice (and money) for their 2700 members. The estate is heavily guarded and there is an electrical fence surrounding it. Hall never leaves his property so the people who want to kidnap him so they can force him to access his offshore accounts have to find a way in. Into this mix come John Dortmunder and his felonious crew who are able to secure jobs on the estate to steal Hall's valuable car collection.
The snappy dry wit repartee, the comical action scenes and the unexpected ending are just some of the reasons why Donald E. Westlake is such a fan favorite. The interactions between the various criminal groups are reminiscent of a slapstick comedy and readers will find themselves chuckling out loud at some of the situations they find themselves in. Dortmunder and his cronies become involved as they plan a heist that could net each of them millions of dollars.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Road to Ruin |
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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 - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very humorous
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is....
- Get treasure/money from another criminal
Crime Thriller
Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- thief/con artist
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
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
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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