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Hard Time
Sara Paretsky Book Review

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Plot Summary of Hard Time
"V.I. Warshawski is accused of the hit and run death of an escaped female prisoner and she pulls a Nellie Bly, going into the women's prison to discover the events leading up to the death of the young woman she is accused of killing."
Christine G., Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Hard Time
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story - very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain? - Somewhat obvious
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - nearly 100%
Kind of investigator - hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
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 - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Midwest
Misc setting - prison

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - rape (yeech!)
Unusual forms of death - run over
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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