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| Plot Summary of Tricky Business |
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Putnam, Oct 2002, 24.95, 256pp.
ISBN 0399149242
Tropical Storm Hector is playing havoc in the waters near Miami Beach and most people are staying indoors rather than go on the roads or sail their boats in the dangerous ocean. The Extravaganza of the Sea is a cruise ship that goes out past the three-mile limit into international waters so the passengers can have an evening of gambling. It is going out on the night Hector hits because it has a scheduled rendezvous with another smaller boat based in the Bahamas to exchange money for drugs.
Arnold and Phil, two senior citizens who escaped from the Beaux Art senior center, just want to have some fun. Wally and his band, Johnny and the Contusions, have to sing for their supper. Fay, a single mother and cocktail waitress, has to work if she wants to keep her job that pays the bills. All these innocent people are caught up in the crossfire when some of the criminals try to double cross their partners in crime.
TRICKY BUSINESS sounds like a deadly serious crime thriller and in part, it is exactly that. However, it is also a hilarious comedy satirizing the worst things about cruise ships. Dave Barry (that Dave Barry) has a unique serio-comic voice that will appeal to readers who like Kinky Friedman as obviously the President does. The characters seen real as the innocents struggle with heroism just to stay alive.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Tricky Business |
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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 - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Water adventure
Yes
Water:
- on the ocean surface
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- search for gems/treasure/money
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- drug dealers
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Water?
Yes
Water:
- pleasure/love boat
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 8 or more
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Dave Barry Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 James Craver
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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