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Their Wildest Dreams
Peter Abrahams Book Review

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Plot Summary of Their Wildest Dreams
"

Ballantine, August 2003, 24.95, 304 pp.
ISBN 034439392

Mackie learned what a louse her husband was after she discovered he was cheating on her and divorced her. The housing development they were creating went into foreclosure and the bank took possession of it leaving her and her daughter Lianne barely able to afford the payments on the model house. When she gets a notice from the IRS saying she owes over $100,000, she finds out Kevin did some financial maneuvering that make her liable for the bill.

Her friend gives her the idea of stripping as a way of getting back on her feet financially and the Tucson resident travels to the border town of Aqua Fria where she gets hired on as an exotic dancer at Buckaroo's. The owner of the club Buck Samsanov also owns the local bank. He has a scheme where one of his workers robs the place and he gets the money back plus the insurance. Through a quirky set of circumstances, Mackie winds up with the money, Lianne's boyfriend is dead, and Kevin is kidnapped. A crime writer looking for inspiration winds up in the middle of the whole mess and manages to make matters worse.

This suspense thriller is a memorable reading experience due to the cast of characters who are unique and believable. Peter Abrahams has a colorful writing style and his prose is a work of art even with plenty of farcical humor that lowers the tension level when the reader needs a bit of relief from the almost non-stop action. Once again, Mr. Abrahams proves he is one of the grandmasters of suspense.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Their Wildest Dreams
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - Get treasure/money from another criminal
Crime Thriller Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 5-7
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Their Wildest Dreams
Watch Your Back by Donald E. Westlake
The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark
Boyos by Richard Marinick
Walking Money by James O. Born
The Burglar on the Prowl by Lawrence Block


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Peter Abrahams Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Susan Coffey  

SCHOLARS:
David Fletcher  Maureen Collier  


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