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| Plot Summary of The Broker |
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"Washington D.C. attorney and power broker Joel Backman is serving time for unnamed crimes against the United States as the story opens. With six years behind him and fourteen more to go, he is shocked when an outgoing President (urged on by a crafty CIA chief) pardons him free and clear. Well, almost.
The catch is that Backman must agree to leave the U.S. and live in CIA-guarded exile in Italy under the seemingly benevolent thumb of a CIA agent named Luigi. Although we don't know exactly what Backman has done wrong, we know he was involved as a power broker for an incredible Star Wars-type satellite program. Before he can complete a sale to a potential buyer (Israelis? Saudis? Russians?), the feds move in and arrest him and his business partner. Soon afterward, the partner has a suspicious suicide. A nervous Backman now agrees to serve time.
When he is suddenly released, he takes up a new life in a small Italian town as Marco Lazerri. A good deal of the middle of the book is taken up with intenisve Italian lessons. Yes, Italian lessons, and not a little sightseeing. Anyhow, the day arrives when the CIA leaks Backman's location to the major satellite players. Now, the CIA can sit back and see which player arrives to remove Backman permanently. That will tidy up their file on the satellite mess.
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Karen Boyd, Resident Scholar
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"After serving six years in jail for numerous crimes, power broker Joel Backman is suddenly pardoned by an outgoing president under demand of the CIA. Joel is released from jail, but must now agree to live in Italy under a new name and a new identity while closely being guarded by a secret agent named Luigi. Although there is no hint of why Joel is living in Italy, we eventually get to know that he was involved in the sale of an illegal satellite system. Before he was able to make a deal with a country, his partner was suddenly killed, after which Joel pleads guilty for his crimes and flees to jail. The CIA wants to know who created the illegal satellite, and therefore devises a plan in which Joel will be set loose in Italy while they leak his whereabouts to countries such as Russia and China. The CIA doesn't want to know if Backman will survive or not; there is no chance of that; the question is – who will kill him?"
Walid Khalid, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Broker |
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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
- very upbeat
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- govt. doing secret bad things abroad
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- law enforcement gone bad
Search for technology?
- space technology
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Profession/status:
- government investigator
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
- an above average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- FBI/CIA
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- physically sick
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
City?
Yes
City:
- Washington D.C.
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- mostly 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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