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Book Review By Daniel Staebler
Dick Contino's Blues by James Ellroy

DICK CONTINO'S BLUES is a novel published by James Ellroy in 1994.

A few months in the life of Dick Contino, an italian accordionist, trying to survive in the show business. After a good start when he was 19 years old, he lost the audience's support when he behaved cowardly during the Korean War. Now, in 1958, people still remember his attitude but Dick does have the opportunity to play the main character of DADDY'HO, a cheap Z production of a jewish producer. In order to gain attention, he wants to organize a fake kidnapping that would make him appear as a hero. Meanwhile, a serial killer is observing him and waiting for the right time to emerge.


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - very upbeat
Time/era of story:
The crook is.... - commit white collar fraud or con
descript. of violence and chases - 40 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 0 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets:
Is MAIN CHARACTER an EVIL criminal? Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by killer/stalker

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

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Eccentric: Yes
Motive of antagonist - insanity

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West
City? Yes
City: -

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
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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