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The Man Who Killed His Brother
Stephen R. Donaldson Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Man Who Killed His Brother
"

Forge, Nov 2002, 24.95, 254 pp.
ISBN 0765302039

In Puerta Del Sol Mick “Brew” Axbrewder does his best to drink himself to death in order to obliterate the memory of killing his brother. The commission yanked his private investigator's license because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him. He didn't do jail time because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him when Brew intervened. When he is sober he works for Ginny Fistoulari, his one time sleuthing partner and lover.

He must sober up and tackle the disappearance of his niece as her mother hires Ginny's firm because she knows that Brew will work harder than anyone else will even without the impetus of killing her daughter's father. Ginny and Brew discover that nine girls in six different schools have disappeared when they were isolated from other schoolmates and adults. Seven of the girls were found dead from a heroin overdose after working the streets as a prostitute. Gin and Brew must find Alathea before the same fate befalls her.

THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER reaches rock bottom when the novel opens but the reader sees flashes of good in this tortured person, as he seeks sobriety in order to find his niece. A lifetime won't be long enough for Brew to forget that he killed his sibling but working the case gives him glimpses of a redemption that could be his if he turn his life around and works for the common good. The mystery is creatively designed and organized and Gin and Brew mix well together, but what else would anyone expect from Stephen R. Donaldson.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Man Who Killed His Brother
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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 - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50%
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
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 50%
Kind of investigator - hard boiled/private eye
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: - private investigator
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 - 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: - small businessman
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 - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West

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 dialog than descript
Most similar books to The Man Who Killed His Brother
The Red Scream by Mary Willis Walker
Underkill by Leonard Chang
Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton
Unfaithful Servant by Timothy Harris
Murder in the Bastille by Cara Black


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