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Straw Men
Martin J. Smith Book Review

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Plot Summary of Straw Men
"

Jove, Jan 2001, 6.99, 336 pp.
ISBN: 051512950X

    Eight years ago, an assailant attacked Teresa Harnett in her kitchen. The culprit smashed her head with a bottle, rammed her head on the floor several times, raped her, and left a calling card of a broken bottle end inside her vagina. The vicious individual left Teresa for dead, but she was rushed to the hospital and with the help of her loving and caring spouse physically recovers.

    However, Teresa's nightmare begins anew because the defense lawyer Brenna Kennedy demands a new trail for her convicted client Carmen DellaVechhio. DNA evidence destroys much of the proof the DA used the first time around. The presiding judge releases the incarcerated individual pending final dismissal of all charges. Teresa begins to wonder if she helped place the wrong person behind bars. Neither Brenna nor Teresa realizes what heartache and murders await them as this case moves into the final stages.

    Martin J. Smith is one the most under-appreciated thriller writers on the market today. He consistently provides chillers that deserve a vast audience. His latest winner, STRAW MEN, is loaded with surprises and revelations mostly frightening because they feel real yet are unexpected. Characters from other books by Mr. Smith have evolved as if they share real time with the reader, which adds to the feel of chilling reality. This novel is a thumbs-up legal thriller.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Straw Men
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story - depressing/sad
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Legal Thriller Yes
Legal Plotlets - finding out whether someone is really guilty

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - homemaker
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Straw Men
The Defense by D.W. Buffa
Red Dust by Gillian Slovo
Body of a Crime by Michael C. Eberhardt
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Not Necessarily Murder by F. Eugene Barber


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