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Peril
Thomas H. Cook Book Review

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Plot Summary of Peril
"

Bantam, Feb 2004, 23.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0553800981

Mortimer has three months left at best to live and he has nothing to leave his wife but shattered dreams and hopes. All his money was lost at the track and he is into loan shark Leonardo Labriola for $15,000 with no way to pay it. Labriola's son Tony finds out his wife Sara left him and he does not have a clue why but his father is rabid that his daughter-in-law must be found.

Leonardo's henchman Vinnie knows Mortimer is acquainted with a private investigator named Stark who finds missing people. Labriola will excuse Mortimer's debt and give Stark $30,000 fee for locating Sara. Mortimer gives $15,000 to his friend Abe, who runs a bistro, to give to his wife after he dies. When Abe hires Sara to sing and play music at his bistro a showdown between the various players becomes a certainty.

Thomas H. Cook writes brilliant works of psychological suspense and PERIL is his crowning achievement. Readers are left to wonder until the very last chapter why Sara left Tony after nine years of marriage and why her father-in-law, not her husband is so eager to find her. Events culminate in a showdown at Abe's place of business and the results will shock and stun readers who would have never guessed what ghosts drove Sara and the other players in this very sick game.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Peril
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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
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by killer/stalker

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - homemaker
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
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 - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - criminal
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: - Northeast

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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