Kevin Wignall
For the Dogs (2004)
Author: Kevin Wignall
Genre: Suspense/Thriller (Criminal)
Plot Summary:
Main plot:
Ella away in Italy with boyfriend, Chris, when her family his killed. Lucas shows up and saves Ella and Chris from the hit men there to finish the job. He gets them out of danger and sends them home to England. Ella and Chris’ relationship disintegrates while Ella living with her uncle, Simon. Ella eventually calls Lucas (trusts him; they had bonded over books—Austen’s Persuasion and The Nibelungenlied). Wants him to help find who killed her family. SPOILER: As they come closer to finding the killer, Ella is consumed with vengeance ordering Lucas to kill Novakovic against his better judgment and taking out Brodsky on her own. Lucas hooks Ella up with his pal Dan who helps Ella orchestrate the wrangling of Simon and his family. There is a confrontation in the Caribbean where Ella kills Simon’s family and then Simon in front of Dan (who had refused to kill the children). Dan eventually kills Ella to put her out of her misery.
Side plot:
Lucas has been estranged from a lover for 14 years with whom he had a daughter. He is struggling to put the “killing business” behind him and begin a relationship with his daughter. SPOILER: His ex, Madeleine, wants him to stay away, but, after handing Ella off to Dan and closing the killing chapter of his life, he finally approaches his daughter, Isabelle, and reconciles somewhat with Madeleine.
Geographical Setting: Europe (London, Budapest, rural Italy and Switzerland)
Time Period: Present day
Series: Wignall's first novel
Appeal Characteristics:
Fast-paced; not literary; modern Europe (London, Budapest, rural Italy) setting; hard to pin down as a Thriller or Suspense, but it definitely falls in there somewhere; little humor but not overly noir or dark in tone; focus on Lucas and Ella's characters and how the story changes them, yet also quite a story-driven novel.
Red Flags: Graphic violence (gunshot wounds to head described); brief sexuality (light foreplay)
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