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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 do Dave and the police do?

2. Who is just arriving at Dave's house one day as he drives up?

3. Who is found shot through the heart?

4. What does Dave see when he is wandering around outside?

5. What bothers Dave a great deal about his job?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens with Dave's visit to Monroe?

2. Who does Dave go to see after Annie is buried and what happens?

3. What murder scene does Dave investigate?

4. What does Dave ask Annie to do and how does she respond both to his request and her meeting Claudette?/

5. Why is Dave's new boss angry and what does the boss do as a consequence?

6. Why is Robin waiting for Dave one evening and what happens?

7. What does Dautrieve warn Dave about and what is Dave's response?

8. What does Dave find when he searches Romero's apartment?

9. What does Victor Romero attempt?

10. What is the government offering Romero and why is Dave informed of the fact?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following to discuss. Be sure to include specific examples to illustrate the theme you are discussing. How do specific characters help illustrate the theme? Would this novel be different without the theme? How? Is the theme one that could be considered universal? Why or why not :

1. Trace and analyze the theme of violence.

2. Trace and analyze the theme of murder.

3. Trace and analyze the theme of betrayal.

Essay Topic 2

Interesting characters contribute a great deal to the success of most novels. Discuss one of the following using specific examples from the text in your discussion:

1. Dave is singly the most important and most visible character of all the characters. Discuss Dave's most prominent character strengths and flaws and how they impact the other characters in the novel.

2. Define the term "character foil" and discuss which characters serve as a "foil" to Dave's character. How do they do so? Why do they do so? How does having a foil to a character help define and make that character more complex? How does it do so in Dave's case?

3. Discuss four secondary characters. What are their flaws and strengths? How do they contribute or detract from Dave's efforts at a normal, quiet life? What is Dave's opinion of each of the four characters? Does he like them? Tolerate them? Admire or despise them? Use specific examples from the text in your discussion.

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)

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