Re: RARA-AVIS: Death Benefits

From: M Blumenthal ( blumenidiot@21stcentury.net)
Date: 20 May 2002


SPOILER X X X X X X X X

Doug and Craig, I thought the book seemed like an attempt to merge of Joe Gores' DKA books which deal with Gypsies, who all are united against the world as opposed to individuals, and Richard Stark's Slayground. Skillman is experienced and careful and even ruthless when necessary. He is able to find a body buried in a random lot in northern Illinois. He is always careful to park around the corner from his actual destination. He and the others know like Gypsies, all the residents of Coulter had a reputation of being con artists. They have found most of the people are related to each other. Skillman or Mary should have been aware of the possibility that the Coulter cops are part of the conspiracy and contacted the FBI or at least the New Hampshire State Police. I don't think the reader has more information that that is unavailable to them.

I also don't think the people of Coulter as con men or women would employ murder as a matter of course, but that objection is minor. I just don't like smart characters become dumb for no good reason. I realize the book would have been much more difficult to write to satisfy me, but I'm sure it could have been done. As I wrote before I think Skillman and maybe Mary could be derveloped as the bases for an outstanding series. Walker would serve as a Watson like figure to Skillman's Sherlock Holmes. Mark

Mark

> I noticed this too about Death Benefits, but I thought Perry used this
well,
>
> putting the characters in harm's way and drawing out the suspense. It's
> like
> Hitchcock's take on suspense. Show the bomb under the chair at the
> beginning
> of the scene, and then let the hero enter the room.
>
> And although it's true it's apparent to the reader what the situation is,
it
>
> can be argued if this were a true to life situation, and for the
characters,
>
> it is a true to life situation, one wouldn't automatically make that
> assumption, because one doesn't see that sort of thing everyday.
>
> John Lau
>
>
> I, too had the whole thing figured out, but it still worked for me because
> I kept thinking "that can't possibly be what's really behind it all."
> Turned
> out it was, but I kept turning the pages as fast as I could.
>
> Craig Larson
> Trinidad, CO
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