Red-Headed Poison - Leigh Brackett

Short Story

Number of words : 5000
Percent of complex words : 2.4
Average syllables per word : 1.3
Average words per sentence : 8.9


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 4.5
Flesch : 86.2
Flesch-Kincaid : 3.5


SETTING

Unstated, but it is cold enough to snow, and boys might get called in 'from St. Paul'.


CHARACTERS

Marty James

Gangster that wants to marry an honest woman.

Sheila Burke

The object of his desire is too smart to cave, even when he tries starvation intimidation tactics.

Ma Burke

Sheila's mother, who she lives with.

Tod

A friend of Sheila's, willing to fight Marty and help her out.

Tony

Marty's sidekick and gunman.

Buckwald

Rival gangster who'd prefer Marty was mortally challenged.

Del

Buckwald's wife.

Capper

Buckwald's muscle.



PLOT

Sheila is broke, and Marty wants to marry her. He has been intimidating the locals into not providing her any credit, so she is at the stage of not being able to afford to eat. She still wants nothing to do with such a low-down dirty rat.

He is called away to a meeting with another gangster, and ends up in a gunfight and injured, and comes back to use Sheila as an alibi. A fight ensues and Marty ends up in a very bad way.


4 out of 5