Design For Dying - Leigh Brackett

Novelette

Number of words : 12000
Percent of complex words : 3.6
Average syllables per word : 1.3
Average words per sentence : 9.6

READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 5.3
Flesch : 85.4
Flesch-Kincaid : 3.7


CHARACTERS

Chris Owens

Ex-con criminal valued for his intelligence in helping to run things. Spent 14 years inside thanks to a frame-up. Married to Jo Owens.

Sligh

Crime boss who Chris worked with. Chris' brother-in-law. Has been housing his sister as domestic help with Chris in jail.

Jo Owens

Chris Owens' wife, and Sligh's sister. Up to the job of deception and action.

Ray Jardine

Private investigator and criminal involved with the other sin the past, that wants to use Chris to change leadership.

Georgie Molino

Current top crime man. Makes a lot through gambling, and has a casino. Wants to use the new Chris in his organisation. Has big plans.

Micky Shayne

Gunman for Molino.

Shadow

Gunman for Molino.


PLACES

Molino's


SETTING

Probably California. Sligh is mentioned as being 'in Vegas' Post-prohibition. Repeal was while Chris was in jail.


PLOT

Chris gets out of jail after a long stretch of doing time when things went wrong in a previous operation. He goes to see his wife, where they are met by Jardine, who explains what he wants in the way of changes. Some training and alteration of appearance for Chris and Jo to set things up. They will work under an alias.

Jardine and Jo find out Sligh has been killed. Jardine wants to use Chris to make money.

The criminals have a plan to get into more mainstream black markets than vice, and to attempt to use politics to get some prohibition situations back.

It is revealed as a setup that Sligh is not dead and he is using the others to test if Chris still has what it takes. There is gunplay with Shayne and Shadow to check this out.

However, Sligh's reveal is what Chris has been waiting for - revenge. Sligh is tough though, and it takes a bullet from Jo to finish him.

"I dragged myself over to the low table where the phone was, not very far away. Jo said, "You going to call the law, Chris?"
"Yeah. I'm going to give 'em the whole set-up, and then take whatever they want to give me. With luck, with what Molino and that Shayne louse can tell, with Sligh's plans for the combine to show them, I should get a decent break.
"

: Design For Dying - Leigh Brackett


3.5 out of 5