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Right As Rain
George R. Pelecanos Book Review

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Plot Summary of Right As Rain
"

Little, Brown; Feb 2001; 24.95; 336 pp.
ISBN: 0316695262

    In Washington DC, Caucasian cop Terry Quinn sees a black man holding down a white man to the ground. Terry tells the individual to put down his gun, but instead the culprit points the weapon at the police officer. Terry reacts and kills the assailant. It surfaces later that the dead man was a cop in civilian clothes and the person he held to the ground claimed police brutality.

    Following that incident, terry quits the force to work at a bookstore, the ?injured? party receives a huge settlement from the city, and the dead officer's reputation is shredded. Mrs. Wilson wants to clear her son's name, so she hires Derek Strange, a former police officer turned private detective. After investigating the case and meeting with Terry, Strange surprisingly likes the man. Both share a desire to learn why Officer Chris Weston was drunk an in an uncharacteristically killing rage.

    No writer today does urban noir crime fiction as well as George R. Pelecanos does. He always tells quite a good story while smoothly weaving social commentary into the plot. The realistic charcaters are likable even if they do not appear anything like the boy next door. RIGHT AS RAIN is an urban suspense thriller that that showcases the author's immense talent.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Right As Rain
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - finding a known killer

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
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: - police/lawman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
Motive of antagonist - power
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: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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A Fistful of Rain by Greg Rucka
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The Poisoned Rose by D. Daniel Judson


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