| Plot Summary of Odds Against |
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"At one time Sid Halley was one of the best steeplechase jockeys in Great Britain. However, a fall from a horse changed his life forever; his left hand was stepped on by a horse, has extensive nerve and tendon damage, and cannot be surgically repaired. Now, Sid is devastated and horribly depressed; 6 months before the accident his wife left him and now he has lost his only other love, racing.
However, Sid receives a second chance; after working 2 years in the office of the Hunt Radnor Associates Detective Agency. Sid receives a gun shot wound that snaps him out of his depression and makes his life worth living again. After recovering from the gun shot wound, he is invited to the house of his father in law, Charles Roland; where his father in law introduces him to a sketchy character called Howard Kraye, whom he wants Sid to spy on. Howard Kraye and his wife Doria are very heartless to Sid, treating him like the scum of the earth because of his poor beginnings, deformed hand, and perceived lack of wealth (really he is doing quite well for himself in the stock market).
Admiral Roland suspects Kraye of trying to take over the Seabury Racecourse so he can build houses. Sid must save the racecourse he raced on so many times in his former career. Sid must now find out how Kraye, Doria, Kraye's stockbroker Ellis Bolt, the Seabury Executive Captain Oxon and Kraye's other henchmen plan to acquire the racecourse. With a little help from his fellow detective Chico and Zanna Martin, Bolts Secretary, Sid might just save the racecourse."
Amanda Campbell, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Odds Against |
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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 - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
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:
- 1960's-1970's
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- white collar fraud or theft
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- wealthy
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- quite fatty
Setting
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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