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Street Money
Bill Kent Book Review

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Plot Summary of Street Money
"

Dunne, Oct 2002, 23.95, 304 pp.
ISBN: 031228585X

Upon graduating from the U of Penn with a journalism degree, former basketball star Andrea “Andy” Cosicki tries to obtain work with local newspapers, but is ignored until her father Benjamin “Benny Lunch” gets her a position with the tabloid Philadelphia Press. Her boss makes it clear that he does not want her, but has no choice as obviously the owners owed Benny Lunch for fixing something. So he assigns Andy the impossible column of Mr. Action problem solver for readers and to assist Shep Ladderbook the obit writer.

Almost immediately following her employment, the police find the body of Benny Lunch in the basement of the burned out Straight Up club. No one knows why he went there, but the death is ruled an accident. When thugs invade her home looking for something that Benny Lunch possessed, Andy wonders if someone killed him over a deal he arranged or that item not found so far. With the help of Ladderbook, who provides newspaper cover and leads, she begins to investigate.

STREET MONEY is an entertaining read that combines elements of an amateur sleuth with a professional investigation. The story line focuses on Andy, as a rookie just starting out so that her actions feel like an amateur sleuth yet because of Ladderbook providing guidance her effort is also professional. Andy makes the tale work as a modern woman not ashamed of being over six feet tall and towering over many of her colleagues. That self-positive attitude makes Bill Kent's novel a joy to read as she digs into her father's death to learn the truth of Benny Lunch.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Street Money
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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 - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Kind of investigator - amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in that culture
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - journalist
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - 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: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate 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: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - mostly dialog
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