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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
The Quick by Dan Vining



Jove, June 2004, 7.99, 320 pp.
ISBN 0515137197

Private Investigator Jimmy Miles attends Joel Kinsey's Mensa: a Night of Mystery Party at a Malibu mansion. At the event, his host introduces him to Jean Kantke, who wants to hire him to find out whether in 1977 her father, an assistant district attorney, really killed her mother and her lover. He always swore until he died in the gas chamber in 1992 that he was innocent. Jean knows that there is something different about Jimmy, who only takes an occasional case and not always for money.

She doesn't know that he's a Sailor, a person who died but still retains his human form except to those who knew him when he was alive. They see a different face when they look at him. He never ages and doesn't need sleep. Though alive, he can't be killed although he can be hurt or injured. Nobody could be better suited to find out the truth about Jean's family than him because he has to deal with some very nasty people, including other dangerous Sailors.

This dark urban noir supernatural private investigative story is different, quirky and scary because nobody, including the Sailors, knows why they still live or what they have to do to be at rest. Jimmy is a refreshingly original character who seems at peace with his state of affairs and helps others like himself when they first become aware of what has happened. This reviewer hopes that the protagonist stars in other novels because he is a complex person whose realm is interesting and his solving a case a delight to observe.

Harriet Klausner


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%
Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder - - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
descript. of violence and chases - 20 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 %
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: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
Motive of antagonist - power
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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