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Book Review By Tina Myers
Velocity by Dean Koontz

Billy Wiles is a bartender who receives a note on his car windshield one early evening after work. The note said,

"If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved I will kill a lovely blond school teacher somewhere in Napa County. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours". Billy just thought it was a sick practical joke. He did however, show the note a friend Lenny who is on the police force. Lenny decided that is was just someone playing a practical joke and told Billy not to worry about it.

The next day Billy went to work and after he left work while appoaching his car Lenny stopped him and told him that a blond teacher was murdered in Napa County. Billy then noticed another note on his car windshield that said, "If you take this note to the police I will kill a mother of two, if you don't take this note to the police I will kill a man that not very many people will miss. That night he received a phone call from Lenny's house but no one would speak. Later that night Billy found Lenny murdered.


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Killer purposely leaves clues
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Special suspect? - chronically deranged person
Kind of investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
descript. of violence and chases - 40 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Eccentric: Yes
Motive of antagonist - insanity
The antagonists are: - rednecks
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California
Mountains/Cliffs Yes
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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