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| Plot Summary of The Dying Ground |
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"A young man searching for the murderer of his childhood friend comes of age in 1989 Oakland, California. "
Shelby Coleman, Resident Scholar
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"
Villard, Jan 2001, 13.95, 322 pp.
ISBN: 037575631
In 1989 Oakland, teenager Maceo Albert Bouchaund has everything, coming from an upper middle class family. His grandfather Albert is considered as one of the city's patriarchs. He attends college at nearby Berkley though he is currently visiting at home. He also is a fine baseball player in spite of being small for the sport.
However, Maceo's world changes when he learns that someone put a bullet into the head of his childhood buddy Billy Crane, a major local player in the lucrative drug trafficking. The murder of Billy is not a shocker as dealers are routinely killed in the competitive quest for customers. When Maceo learns that Billy's girlfriend Flea vanished, he decides he must do something because she is the unrequited love of his life. As he begins to investigate Billy's death and search for Flea, Maceo finds the enticing side of the drug world calling to him like a sexy siren. Will he fall to its lure in spite of his heritage?
THE DYING GROUND is quite a coup as first time novelist Nichelle D. Tramble provides more than a very good urban amateur sleuth tale. The story line centers on the full picture, including glamour, of the drug industry that still holds on to many American communities. Maceo is a wonderful protagonist, struggling with the thin line between his moral upbringing and the instant gratification of the fool's gold drug world. Though many readers will need to adjust to the accents of the secondary cast, this approach provides a real feel to Oakland in the first year of what now seems like ancient history of papa Bush's administration.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Dying Ground |
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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
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- depressing/sad
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- drug dealers
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
- just the right amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
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:
- student
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
The antagonists are:
- Drug kingpins
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- dangerous
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
- 5-7
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- actual description of sex
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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