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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
The Mongol Reply by Benjamin M. Schutz



Five Star, Oct 2004, 25.95, 334 pp.
ISBN: 1410402002

Tom Tully, a former football player turned Virginia Squires Special Teams coach, hires attorney Albert “Agent Orange” Garfield to arrange for his divorce of his wife Serena because he knows she is cheating on him. Tom ignores the fact that he has always cheated on her as he wants her blitzed into total collapse and surrender.

Albert appears before a judge without his wife being present in the courtroom. He persuades the judge that Serena is dangerous to her spouse and their two small children, six years old Tom Junior and four years old Tina. He cuts her off from her home, funds, and friends with a smear campaign. The only setback is the assignment of honest forensic psychologist Dr. Morgan Reece to evaluate what is best for the two children. Reece will find himself in the midst of a brutal precision operation to annihilate Serena regardless of the cost to two preadolescent children. If Tom loses a battle, he could go over the edge killing everyone.

This is a dark legal thriller not for everyone. The plot showcases how far a law firm will go to spin “facts” in support of their client without regard to what they are doing to innocent children or the truth (sounds like a political campaign). The grim story line also paints a gloomy picture of family values. Tom is violently crazy while Serena is a distraught victim with no way to defend herself; Reece is a terrific psychologist struggling to stay neutral, but finds himself more in Serena's corner as much for the kids' sake as for the continuous attacks on her life. He is unaware that by leaning in her direction he jeopardizes his life.

Harriet Klausner


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story:
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets:
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by dangerous boy/girlfriend/spouse

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 - revenge
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast

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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