Career criminal Max Dembo finds himself paroled from prison after a long stretch for running a check-forging scheme. Max, a former heroin-addict who kicked his habit and became self-educated in jail, resolves to go straight but is stymied at every turn by an apathetic parole officer who won't give him a break, a prejudiced society that won't give him a job, and the temptations of his old life, which seem to be omnipresent.
Finally deciding that quitting his former profession is impossible, Max falls back in with his old friends, including a former stick-up partner with a dying wife and a former cellmate who has just escaped from prison. With these men, Max sets-out on an old-fashioned crime spree, culminating in a typical "last, big score," an armed heist at a high-priced jewelry store. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of story - depressing/sad Time/era of story: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book The crook is.... - committing armed robbery descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes Is MAIN CHARACTER an EVIL criminal? Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - an organization Profession/status: Setting City? Yes City: - Los Angeles Misc setting - prison Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |