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| Plot Summary of No Man Standing |
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"
Scribner, May 2002, 24.00, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0743213866
In 1985, Los Angeles police detectives Art Becker and Rico Chacon almost lose their lunch looking at the tortured corpses of Dwayne and Lila Mae Summers. Not long afterward they visit Lila Mae's adult daughter from her first marriage Ellen, a resident of the California Institute for Women at Frontera. Ellen is stunned with the news knowing she will receive her parole “freedom” tomorrow in time to host a funeral.
Because of her trips to the prison to see Ellen, Rico visits the reformed troublemaker turned automobile mechanic and adopted mother Munch Mancini to obtain information on who would want the innocent couple dead. Believing there is a connection to Ellen, Munch investigates even as she deals with a stalker who accuses her of stealing her life. However, she finds evidence involving stolen loot connected to Ellen that Munch hides from Rico though she is attracted to the law enforcement official. This leads to someone willing to murder children to gain what they believe is theirs while coming after Munch.
The fifth Munch Mancini amateur sleuth tale is a great novel because readers gain insight into the heroine's dark past and current motivations. The story line of NO MAN STANDING is action packed, but belongs to an impressive cast who enables the audience to better understand Munch while forwarding the who-done-it plot. The audience's hearts will reach out to the preadolescent friend of Munch's daughter who is caught in the crossfire of two selfish adults. That sidebar augments the intense look at the star though not critical to the prime theme. Fans of amateur sleuth tales will enjoy munching on Barbara Seranella's latest tale.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of No Man Standing |
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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 - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
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:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
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
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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