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Poodle Springs
Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker Book Review

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Plot Summary of Poodle Springs
"Raymond Chandler created the private eye character of Phillip Marlowe. Before his death, he had written a few chapters of this book, once again starring Phillip Marlowe. Robert B. Parker, known for his Spencer novels, picked up the story and played out what Chandler started. Marlowe has gotten married to a rich girl, but still has to be who he is, a detective. He and his wife move to Poodle Springs, an L.A. suburb. Soon after his arrival, he is hired to chase down a blackmailer. Soon after he starts detecting, a girl ends up dead in his client's office. The client claims he didn't do it and Marlowe believes him. He starts to follow other leads and soon the man that was blackmailing his client turns up dead too. Suspicion is thrown back on his client. And he can't find his client either. Who really did it? Is his client innocent as he claims? Or is it someone from his client's past life when he photographed Hollywood starlets?"
BethG, Resident Scholar



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

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




Tone of story - depressing/sad
How difficult to spot villain? - Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story: - 1930's-1950's
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Murder of certain profession? - "All in the family" murder
Kind of investigator - hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets: - seduction/blackmail
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - crazed boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
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
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - wealthy
Eccentric: Yes - emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
Motive of antagonist - insanity
The antagonists are: - big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California
City? Yes
City: - Los Angeles
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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Beaulah Hill by William Heffernan
Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky
The Case of the Dangerous Dowager by Erle Stanley Gardner
The Mask of Time by Marius Gabriel
The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks by James Anderson


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Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
BethG  

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