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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
The Closer by Donn Cortez



Pocket, Oct 2004, 6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0743476980

One Christmas Eve, struggling artist Jack meets with a potential patron at Jack's warehouse. His client never shows up, but when a disappointed Jack returns home he finds the murdered corpses of his wife, son and parents. His new goal is to kill the person who killed his loved ones, but first he must find out who did the dastardly deed.

He teams up with Nikki the prostitute as both shares in common the loss of loved ones due to serial killers. They search for serial killers and when they catch them they make them confess on tape who they murdered and where they buried the bodies. The police dub Jack the Closer because he provides some closure to the victims' families. When Jack and Nikki learn about a secret site for serial killers, they gain the passwords and codes to the Stalking Ground.

In his pursuit of justice, Jack crosses the line to become the thing that he wants to destroy which turns him into a paradox. Nikki keeps him grounded until he finally goes one step too far for even her and she is forced to walk away. There is plenty of violence in this crime thriller though the plot contains numerous serpentine twists and red herrings as Jack's quest to find his family's killer never stays on a straight path.

Harriet Klausner



Plot & Themes
Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
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
Crime plotlets:
General Crime (including known murderer) 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:
Motive of antagonist - kicks
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
United States Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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