| NO SHOW OF REMORSE
St. Martin's, Apr 2002, 23.95, 304 pp. ISBN: 0312252400 In Chicago, Malachy Foley tries to regain his license to practice law in the State of Illinois, but he deals poorly with the bureaucracy, which in turn delays his achieving his objective. Five years ago, Mal refused to reveal what his client confided in him despite a State Supreme Court order stating that this was not privileged information. Three people including a cop subsequently died. Mal lost his license and turned to private investigating work. Besides his inability to cooperate with the bureaucracy, someone does not want Mal to petition for his license while other individuals try to assist the barred attorney. Everything returns to the case that started Mal's downfall when it went bad for everyone except for one person who cleverly escaped with five hundred thousand dollars and plenty of cocaine to sell. That individual is willing to kill to insure Mal never uncovers the full truth. The fourth Mal Foley tale, NO SHOW OF REMORSE, provides greater insight into the values and principles of the key character than the previous books. However, as the audience learns more about Mal, the story line takes a bit slower to leave the launch pad. Once the plot attains orbit, it never slows down as readers gain a novel that switches from a character study to an action packed who-done-it. David J. Walker entertains his fans with a strong private investigative tale with some touches of a legal procedural that adds spice to the fine mix. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - money/treasure How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Midwest Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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