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Cadillac Beach
Tim Dorsey Book Review

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Plot Summary of Cadillac Beach
"Cadillac Beach, Dorsey's sixth novel, marks the return of Serge A. Storms, the maniacal, Florida-obsessed history-buff, and his pal Lenny,as they open their very own "offbeat" travel-service: Serge & Lenny's, a wild ride through the seamy underside of Miami and Miami Beach.

But Serge is also a man on a mission: his multi-pronged plan to solve the mystery of his grandfather's death way back in '65 involves the FBI, the CIA, the Cuban exiles, the Mafia, and Castro, and it all leads back to the same place: Murph the Surf's legendary real-life heist of the New York Museum of Natural History, from which a dozen priceless gems were never recovered.

Was Serge's grandfather involved in the heist? Who killed him? Can Serge find out while simultaneously embarrassing Castro, restoring the CIA's public-image, smashing the Mob, marketing his own South Beach energy-drink, and returning the Today Show to Miami? And do it all without stopping the tour, the customers of which seem to drop like flies?

"

James Craver, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Cadillac Beach
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - very humorous
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 30%
Misc. Murder Plotlets - "All in the family" murder - solving long-past murder
Kind of investigator - comical investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - Get treasure/money from another criminal
Any non-mystery subplot? - searching for $$$/treasure
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets: - search for gems/treasure/money
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - police gone bad

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - killer
Age: - 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental: Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric - obsessed - mentally ill - emotionally unstable - wild
How much violence does he/she use? - a significant amount
Ethnicity/Race - Hispanic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
The antagonists are: - US mafia
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - physically sick

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast
City? Yes
City: - Miami
Misc setting - resort/hotel

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 8 or more
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - actual description of sex
Unusual forms of death - poisoning - dropped from large heights - run over - crushed - flamed - perforation--bullets - blunt clubbing (like seals)
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Cadillac Beach
The Last Judgement by Iain Pears
The Celtic Riddle: An Archaeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton
Stalking The Angel by Robert Crais
Deviant Behavior by Earl W. Emerson
Fat Ollie's Book by Ed McBain


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Tim Dorsey Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
James Craver  

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