She makes efforts to engage the detective, but he shows no interest. Dinah exchanges sex for money with some of the characters.

There are at least 17 murders of characters we meet in the story. Elihu Willsson, though not actively involved in violent acts, gives orders to others to carry it out. The detective beats up the tubercular man and a couple of others. There are open gun fights between gangs, several men are killed from ambush, a fighter who does not throw a fight he was supposed to is knifed before he leaves the ring.

Level of Violenceviolence is seen throughout. Weaponsguns (machine guns and pistols) knife, ice pick homemade fire bombs Police Chief Noonan adult male, beefy, smile pasted on Max Thaler 'Whisper,' adult male, thin, dark, has something wrong with his throat, can only speak in a whisper, gamblerĭinah Brand adult female, greedy, prostitute, looks for other ways (not necessarily legal) to get moneyĭan Rolff adult male, has tuberculosis, physically weak Major Characters Detective (no name given) adult male, 40s, 190 lbs., medium build, not in great physical shape, detective employed by the Continental Detective Agency of San FranciscoĮlihu Willsson adult male, 70s, owns the Personville Mining Corporation, city bank and newspapers The detective manages to turn all the various gangs' leaders against each other, resulting in them killing each other off and leaving Personville under martial law, 'developing into a sweet-smelling and thornless bed of roses.' Before they can talk, the editor is killed. Setting: urban small mining/smelting town: 'an ugly city of forty thousand people set in an ugly notch between two ugly mountains.'Īn unnamed private investigator is summoned by a newspaper editor to Personville, a small town that is being run by criminal elements in league with the editor's father.

Lawrence HoffmanĬatalog #: Kelley Box 265: PS3515.

Red harvest author