| Plot Summary of Death Penalty |
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" Thrice-married and an alcoholic, Charley Sloan is rebuilding his Michigan law practice after his license suspension. Now in AA, he struggles to restore his reputation and not drink as he starts a relationship with sheriff‘s detective, Sue Gillis.
Charley's client, Dr. Miles Stewart, called Doctor Death for his high-priced mercy killings, is out on bond during an appeal. Charley is hired by attorney Mickey Monk, to take over the appellate court appearance to sustain the multi-million dollar award to Mickey's paralyzed client. The hard-drinking Mickey is in debt from the costs of the lawsuit and needs his million dollar fee. Mickey is gambling that the appeal court judge, Franklin Palmer, Charley's law professor who saved Charley from disbarment, will lean in their favor.
Retired Judge Mallow tells Charley that a favorable appeals court decision is for sale, and Charley's revered professor, Palmer, is in on the bribe. Mallow threatens Charley. If he doesn't go along, Palmer will rule against him, and the paralyzed client loses. If he reports them, Mallow and Palmer will claim that it was Charley who tried to bribe them. Turning to his respected mentor, Judge Bishop, Charley feels betrayed when Bishop surprises him with law enforcement officers who insist that Charley wear a wire to trap Mallow and Palmer. If Charley refuses to wear a wire, the officers suggest he must be lying to cover his attempt to bribe Judge Palmer. Sue believes Charley is being set up to protect all three judges. Charley must defend his clients, while his romance with Sue, his sobriety, and his new life are in jeopardy. "
Jerri Rudloff, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Death Penalty |
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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
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 40%
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Legal Thriller
Yes
Legal Plotlets
- fighting judge/jury tampering
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
The antagonists are:
- lawyer creatures
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
City?
Yes
City:
- Dirty, dangerous (like New York)
Small town?
Yes
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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