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| Plot Summary of Hard Luck |
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"Perhaps it is Cat Marsala's hard luck that she happens to be mere feet away from Jack Sligh - when he lands on the pavement next to her after having fallen from a significant height. Jack's death opens up an avenue of investigation for Cat, as she was supposed to have an appointment with him that very day, researching for a story about the Illinois State Lottery.
'Hard Luck' is a well-researched tale about what some may consider a rather boring topic: the world of state lottery funds. How exciting can that actually be? It becomes exciting in a big way when Cat gets hot on the trail of supposed misappropriation of those funds in the hands of those working in high positions for the Illinois State Lottery - mostly the members of one family.
Soon after Jack's plunge, Cat becomes the victim of arson. With a ruined apartment, Cat is quite convinced that Jack's death wasn't suicide. Jack had hinted to Cat that there was some chicanery going in the state lottery the day before he died.
With a lottery convention in full swing in Chicago, Cat learns as much as she can about the ins and outs of legal gambling, all the while searching for a reason why anyone would want Jack Sligh dead. And her, too.
D'Amato deserves full praise for taking a thoroughly dull subject and making it appealing. The world of legal gambling outside of Las Vegas has never been so fascinating."
tesubcalle, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Hard Luck |
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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 - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- journalist
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
City?
Yes
City:
- Chicago
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
Unusual forms of death
- dropped from large heights
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
Barbara D'Amato Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 tesubcalle
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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