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Dead For Life
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Plot Summary of Dead For Life
"

Simon & Schuster, June 2003, 24.00, 294 pp.
ISBN: 0743244001

NYPD detective Conrad Voort is one of the richest men in the police department, his family escutcheon going back to the Revolutionary War. Conrad's biggest worry is his cousin's widow Julia is living in his posh townhouse while she's looking for another place to live. She would like nothing better than to replace Camilla in his bed and life.

Conrad and his partner Mickie are escorted to a homicide scene to explain what the killer means when he writes in a note that Voort screwed up. The victim is a former prostitute turned travel agent and the killer says there are going to be three more victims by midnight. Voort takes a lie detector test and wears an electronic bracelet to remain on the case. With each death, more is revealed about the killer's motives which is centered on a mistake Voort made six years ago.

The protagonist is a good man, a great police officer who has to live with the fact that one mistake six years ago led to the killing spree of a murderer who only wants justice for himself, his family and even his city. While working on the case, the hero is under constant pressure because he realizes he will probably lose his job after killer is caught. The killer elicits reader sympathy because the people he is murdering are the true villains who were never brought to any kind of justice. DEAD FOR LIFE is an exciting police procedural that will keep reader attention from first page to last.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Dead For Life
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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 - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




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? - 60%
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - criminals killing each other
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings of fear/loss/inadequacy
Crime Thriller Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - Russian
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 - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - private investigator
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 - very athletic

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? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Dead For Life
The Broken Hearts Club by Ethan Black
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Dead Famous by Carol O'Connell


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