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| Plot Summary of The Killing of the Tinkers |
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"
St. Martin's, Jan 2004, 22.95, 256 pp.
ISBN: 0312304110
Jack Taylor left the GUARDS and Galway for London to sober up and redeem himself while starting over. Now a year later, he slinks back to Galway, but a pint keeps beckoning him as his old haunts call him until he finally surrenders to the siren of his favorite pub. He is mentally lower than he ever has been.
The tinker Sweeper wants to engage Jack's services to stop the serial killer and mutilator of his gypsy clansmen. Sweeper informs a sober Jack (talk about Gypsy luck – rare moment when Jack is not in his suds) that the Garda Siochana couldn't care less that a few Gypsies are dead. Reluctantly, Jack begins investigating as only he meanderingly can. Jack finally solves the twisted case only to capture the wrong person.
Though Jack's alcohol problems are treated too lightly (a notch above Foster Brooks), his sleuthing is fun to follow as his path is so nonlinear, readers will believe he has no prayer of solving anything but his next drink. When he is not on the case his antics can become irritating. On the other hand, Ken Bruns provides a deep social message that detox most likely will fail if the person returns to the exact environment that helped cause the addiction. THE KILLING OF THE TINKERS is a solid private investigative tale with just a few too many personal sidebars to gulp in one drink.
Harriet Klausner
"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Killing of the Tinkers |
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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)
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
- skilled citizen investigator
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:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
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
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Ireland
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
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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