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| Plot Summary of When Kindness Fails |
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"
Five Star, Sep 2003, 25.95, 215 pp.
ISBN: 0786254432
El Paso Detective Devon Gray is assigned to investigate the stabbing murder of a Jane Doe near the river. After completing his shift, he heads home where his live-in lover Samantha is hosting her ex-husband Jay Leher. Jay claims he drove not stop from Los Angeles because his girlfriend fled LA before calling him to tell him to forget her. Jay knows she is in trouble. Devon uses his connections to learn where Lisa Scobar was staying, but when he sees her photo he knows he has found out the identity of Jane Doe.
Devon travels to Chinati, Texas where Ranger Prairie Drake accompanies him; this is her first case. They visit Lisa's husband Sergio Tierrasantas, a wealthy man who lives like a warlord. When bad things start happen to people he cares about, Devon goes over the edge using excessive force, leading to a suspension and a job working for Sergio. As he spies on the power lord to try to bring him down, Devon finds his adversary quite a foe, making the cop wonder if he needs to cross the line to stop his enemy.
This is an exciting police procedural that contains twists and turns including one shocker of an ending. The story line is action packed yet in some ways low keys the investigation, which adds to the overall flavor. Though the relationship between the Texas Rangers and the city police is never fully explained except one on one in the boudoir, fans will enjoy this terse thriller and want to read the prequel PATRICIDE.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of When Kindness Fails |
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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 - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is....
- stalking/killing innocents
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- vigilante getting revenge
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a significant amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
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:
- Texas
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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