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| Plot Summary of The Dragon Man |
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"
Soho, Aug 2004
1569473560
In the Peninsular just southeast of Melbourne, Australia, Detective Inspector Hal Challis and his police team believe a serial killer is on the loose though only two murder-rapes have occurred, but a third potential female victim is missing. The culprit taunts the cops with letters that to Hal's sorrow end up on the front page of the Progress, edited by his girlfriend Tessa Kane. Hal pleads with Tessa not to publish the correspondence that encourages the killer, frightens people, and enflames everyone, but she says it is legally correct so she does it.
As the media attention to the Peninsular Highway Killer case widens, the investigation goes nowhere. However, the taunting killer with eyes seemingly everywhere turns the inquiries personal when he abducts Police Sergeant Destry's daughter as an apparent insult to Hal and his police squad.
This engaging Australian police procedural is an interesting serial killer investigation due to the intriguing Hal, who must deal with a lot of pressure, some personal, during the case. Hal's wife, who tried to kill him seven years ago, calls him all the time from her sanitarium home and his dispute with his girlfriend on all the news that is fit to print adds internal tension to the hero whose only escape is restoring of old airplanes. Though the sidebars like his spouse's calls take away from the inquiries, they add depth to the hero so that readers know what haunts him as he plays a deadly game of chess with the Peninsular Highway Killer.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Dragon Man |
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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 - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
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:
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...
- hunted by killer/stalker
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
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
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
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
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Australia
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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