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Title: i'm obviously in the minority here
Review: it's not that temple is a bad writer. it could be that i've read to many 'hard-boiled' mysteries over the years.the plot is well handled, and it's the typical convoluted genre plot. i guessed most of the elements well ahead of the writing. the identity of the love interest was obvious, too. and inexplicable.the jack irish character is also typical--the tragic occurance in his past (from which he should have recovered), the borderline job, the suggestion of possibly shady dealings. i don't know much about betting, so i couldn't tell if his involvement in the betting scheme was legal and ethical, legal and unethical, or just plain criminal. i didn't think him tough or mean, since most of his actions were reactions. i found him fairly interchangeable with other hard-boiled anti-heroes.i wouldn't recommend this author, but i am in the minority.
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