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Red Hook
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Plot Summary of Red Hook
"

St. Martin's, Oct 2001, 23.95,
ISBN: 0312274580

    Someone murdered Dominican Tomas Berrios, but before the killers can toss the body into the nearby canal off RED HOOK, Brooklyn, someone must have arrived. The culprits flee the crime scene leaving behind a corpse whose legs are tied to two concrete blocks.

    The crime makes no sense as Tomas was considered a good citizen who worked hard, was married and had two children. Even more surprising is the reaction of NYPD Detective Jack Leightner who vomits when he first sees the victim. Unable to resist the case, Jack obsessively investigates because a murder in RED HOOK brings back his own unhappy childhood memories and a reminder of his own failings with his son just like his own dad failed with him. Apparently his son is beginning to emulate that relationship.

    RED HOOK is a very good police procedural that is actually a powerful relationship drama. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action as Jack makes inquiries into Tomas' murder, but also into why his own life is such a failure at least in his mind. Gabriel Cohen takes Chapin's Cat in the Cradle and places it inside an urban who-done-it starring realistic people who make quite an enjoyable novel.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Red Hook
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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
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 40%
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings of fear/loss/inadequacy
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
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 - Smarter than most other characters
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 - 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 - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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