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jdcorley 's review for:
Where is Janice Gantry?
by John D. MacDonald
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
MacDonald puts a romance at the center of this novel and asks us to fully believe it as a motivating factor for the last half of the book. But our hero is a little too craven, a little too wrapped up in his own self-satisfied self-loathing, for us to really root for him to get the girl. It makes us think the girl is less charming when he's the one that's charmed. What's funny is that the first relationships in the book are actually completely functional as motivation, and the titular question is fully believable as a motive for our hero to get himself in trouble. Even as the fingers of violence close around his neck, he cares for his ex and he wants her to be safe. He still wants her to be safe even as he cynically concludes she's dead. And that keeps him going looking for an outcome he knows he can't get.
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Murder