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Dirty Sally
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Plot Summary of Dirty Sally
"

Viking, Aug 2004, 23.95
ISBN: 0670033197

In 1988 in Austin, Texas, homicide detective Dan Reles feels his world is collapsing with the death of his partner Joey Velez in the line of duty which makes him feel angry and all alone. The transplanted New York Jew also recently lost his spouse who left him. The Austin PD brass becomes concerned with Dan's violent behavior that could be a chip off the old block amplified by his recent losses; they place him under departmental evaluation.

Reles sees an opportunity to atone for his overly zealous performance when he is assigned to investigate the torso of a prostitute found in a nearby ravine. A macabre twist occurs as her other body parts have been forwarded to prominent men in Austin. As he begins his inquiries into the sleazier side of the state capital, a bus hits a U of T student which only Reles believes might be connected to the homicide he already is investigating.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Dirty Sally
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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 - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Murder of certain profession? - prostitutes/stripper/porn
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings of fear/loss/inadequacy
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - insanity
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: - Texas

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 8 or more
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Dirty Sally
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Degrees of Separation by Karen Wiesner and Chris Spindler
The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose


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Michael Simon Resident Scholar Profiles

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Harriet Klausner  

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