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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Alafair say about her upbringing?

2. What does Dautrieve ask of David?

3. What does Annie beg of Dave?

4. Of what heritage is Dave's father?

5. How could Dave and Annie's relationship be characterized?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dave find out from Robin?

2. What does Dave find when he dives down?

3. What does Dave conclude about the incident in the bayou?

4. How do Dave and Annie learn more about Alafair?

5. What do Dave and Annie do in response to the event they witness?

6. What do Dave and Annie do with the young girl they name Alafair?

7. Briefly describe Robin Gaddis.

8. What are Dave and Annie doing when the novel opens?

9. Who visits Dave at his home and what does Dave learn and why does he make another dive?

10. What happens to Dave in the bayou?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Heaven's Prisoners is considered a crime/murder mystery, a sub-genre of fiction. Discuss the following:

1. Define genre and then specifically crime/murder mystery.

2. What do you think is the difference between a suspense novel and a murder mystery?

3. Many in the world of academe do not see mystery as a serious genre, that its primary purpose is entertainment and not "worthy" of being studied by serious students of literature? Respond to that idea.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 3, after Dave is beaten rather severely and spends the night in the hospital, he talks with the local sheriff. During the interview with the local sheriff, Dave quickly concludes that the sheriff has no intention of doing anything. Discuss one of the following:

1. Why do you think the sheriff seems uninterested in following up on a person being beaten? Do you think this is common law enforcement practice? Do you think if the sheriff had taken action and arrested Eddie Keats, Dave would not have taken punishment into his own hands and not sparked off a chain of violence? Does violence beget violence in other works and in a sense is Dave partly responsible for Annie's death and perhaps even the sheriff who declines to take the first act of violence seriously.

2. It seems many people in the "real" world expect a lot of police officers when it comes to protecting them and their property, but when it comes to enforcing laws that the people themselves break, they think the police are unfair to too zealous. (for example, the way many people respond to a ticket for a driving violation). Is this fair to the police officers? Is it just human nature to respond when "caught"? Discuss fully using examples from the book and your own experiences.

3. Trace and analyze the actions of enforcement officers, both local police and the INS and DEA agents. Are they all ethical? Humane? Competent? What are their motives for police work? Use specific examples to illustrate your statements.

Essay Topic 3

In most fiction, readers would like all the loose ends to be neatly "tied up." Discuss the following:

1. Do you think HEAVEN'S PRISONERS is successful as a detective novel? Why or why not.

2. What about this book would motivate you to read another of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series? What would discourage you from doing so?

3. Were all the "loose ends" satisfactorily settled for you? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,421 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample