Boom Boom’s Death: A Web of Deceit and Corruption
The Funeral of Boom Boom
More than a thousand people attended Boom Boom’s funeral. Many of them were supporters of the Black Hawks ice hockey team.
Who Was Boom?
Boom Boom, one of ice hockey’s biggest stars, was a player with the Black Hawks until he shattered his left ankle.
Boom’s Job
He got a job with the Eudora Grain Company.
Discovery of Boom’s Body
Clayton Phillips, Eudora’s vice-president, found Boom Boom’s body floating close to the wharf.
Boom’s Real Name
His real name was Bernard, but his childhood friends had called him Boom Boom and the name followed him from childhood into his days.
Boom’s Family
Boom Boom´s father and Vic´s father were brothers.
Lieutenant Bobby Mallory
Bobby Mallory is the lieutenant.
Mallory’s Theory on Boom’s Death
A ship was tied up at the wharf and Boom Boom went under as she pulled away. His body was badly chewed up. It was a wet day, and that’s an old wooden wharf – very slippery in the rain. He slipped and fell in. He did have that bad leg.
Boom’s Grandmother
Boom Boom’s grandmother, aged eighty-two, fat and dressed in shiny black.
Grandmother’s Theory on Boom’s Death
She told that Boom Boom had been in trouble at Eudora Grain. ‘People are saying he stole some papers from his boss,’ she said. And he threw himself under the ship so that he wouldn’t be arrested.
The Study
Every wall of the study was covered with hockey photographs.
Message for Vic
Boom left an urgent message for Vic on her answering machine but he didn’t say what it was about.
The Ship Where Boom Died
The Bertha Krupnik belongs to the Grafalk Steamship Line.
Accident at the Offices
In the Grafalk Steamship Line offices, it´s heard a terrible crash, and people running outside. A ship had crashed into the side of the wharf.
Niels Grafalk
Niels Grafalk is the owner of the Grafalk Steamship Line offices.
Mike Sheridan
Mike Sheridan is the chief engineer on the Lucella Wieser.
John Bemis
John Bemis is the Lucella’s captain.
Vic’s Question
She’d like to know if anyone on the Bertha or the Lucella saw Boom fall.
Martin Bledsoe
Martin Bledsoe was the owner of the Pole Star Line, which included the ship the Lucella Wieser.
Bledsoe’s Ships
Bledsoe has sixty-three other ships to take the place of my damaged ship.
Grafalk’s Reaction
He dropped his fork.
Bledsoe’s Reaction
Bledsoe had crushed his wine glass in his hand and blood was pouring on to the tablecloth, and he went to hospital.
Grafalk and Bledsoe
They are hated.
Lunch Attendees
Martin Bledsoe, Niels Grafalk, Clayton Phillips, Mike Sheridan and Vic.
Paige Carrington
She was a young woman. She was small, with dark hair falling straight just below her ears, and gold-coloured eyes. She was a dancer with the Windy City Ballet.
Boom’s Apartment
Boom Boom’s apartment it´s in a big glass building on Lake Shore.
The Watchman’s Death
The watchman of Boom´s apartment, Henry, was dead. His neck had been broken.
Paige and Boom’s Meeting
At a Christmas party.
Pierre Bouchard
Pierre Bouchard was Boom Boom’s best friend, a star player with the Black Hawks.
Phillips and Boom’s Argument
Phillips and Boom Boom had had a terrible argument that morning about some papers. Because the week before he died, Boom took several months of contracts home with him, and Phillips was angry.
Janet
Mr Warshawski’s secretary.
Vic Takes Boom’s Diary
Vic put the diary of Boom in her bag.
Janet’s Gift
Janet gave to Vic the files, packed in a large envelope.
Murray Ryerson
Murray Ryerson, crime reporter for the Herald-Star, and an old friend of Vic.
Vic Calls Murray
Vic phoned Murray because she want some background on Paige Carrington.
Bobby’s Discovery
Bobby found a footprint on the papers. A size twelve Arroyo boot.
Vic’s Accident
Vic was in a terrible car accident when his brakes stopped working. Collided with a truck that was behind her, and then his left. The truck that came up behind of Vic had hit a car when it moved left to avoid me. The driver of the car was killed and his two passengers were seriously injured. ‘They weren’t wearing seat belts.
Flowers for Vic
Paige Carrington brought in an enormous armful of spring flowers.
Ship Explosion
The ship exploded, there was an explosion. Sheets of water rushed up between the sides of the ship and the lock. The water was a hundred feet thirty metres above Vic and others.
Howard Mattingly
Man with bright red hair and a pair of binoculars.
Bledsoe’s Bomb
Martin Bledsoe bombed his own boat.
Bledsoe’s Plane
Howard Mattingly, the hockey player, left in the plane of Martin Bledsoe.
Mattingly’s Murder
Mattingly’s body had been found last night in Kosciuszko Park. He had been hit by a car and carried to the park to die.
Paper Pieces
Two pieces of paper slid out from behind the picture. One piece of paper was an invoice from the Grafalk Steamship Line to the Eudora Grain Company, showing loads by ship, date of departure and arrival. The second piece of paper, written in Boom Boom’s tiny handwriting, listed six dates when Pole Star had lost contracts to Grafalk.
Clayton Phillips’ Death
He was death, and his body was covered with coal. The pale brown eyes were open. There was blood on his face and a large hole in the left side of his head.
Mattingly’s Role
Howard Mattingly played ice hockey for the Chicago Black Hawks. He exploded the bomb on the Lucella.
Jeannine Phillips
Phillips’ wife.
Grafalk’s Motive
Grafalk had killed Boom because he knew that Grafalk was stealing money. It is to cover that his company was not successful and had failed. Grafalk had stolen a lot of money and a lot of people had been involved in that corruption.
Paige’s Deception
Paige Boom Boom had dated only to spy for Grafalk.
Vic’s Discovery on Grafalk’s Yacht
Vic found hair, and cut a piece of carpet where a hair to the police investigation.
Grafalk’s Order to Phillips
Grafalk said to Phillips that he killed Boom.
Grafalk’s Order to Mattingly
Grafalk said to Mattingly that he should search in Boom’s apartment, and killed the night watchman.
Grafalk’s Order to Phillips
Grafalk said to Phillips that he should damage Vic’s car in order that she dies.
Grafalk’s Orders to Mattingly
Grafalk said to Mattingly that he should exploit the Lucella, and then he killed Mattingly, and then he killed Phillips.
Mattingly’s Action
Mattingly put water in the warehouses of the Lucella.
Niels’ Boat Accident
Niels´s boat had an accident in the kitchen and the boat caught fire.
Vic’s Feelings for Boom
Vic was in love with Boom.
Paige’s Entry
Paige persuaded the watchman to come up and let me in.
Paige’s Motive
She wanted to find some letters I wrote to Boom Boom, because are personal and she doesn´t want anyone to see them.
Howard Mattingly
Was another ice hockey player with the Black Hawks.
Ellen Edwards
Is the wife of Phillips.
Boom’s Apartment Mess
The papers that Vic had left in eight neat piles were thrown around the room. Drawers were opened. Pictures pulled from the walls.
Vic’s Action
Vic picked up a heavy gold trophy from a magazine table. I moved cautiously down the hall to the other rooms. Paige Carrington sat at Boom Boom’s desk, looking through some papers.
Jeannine and Paige
Jeannine and Paige are sisters.
Bledsoe’s Past
He had been in prison for two years for stealing.
Paige and Grafalk
Paige was the mistress of Niels Grafalk.
Boom’s Feelings for Paige
Boom wasn´t in love with Paige Carrington.
Vic’s Injury
Vic broke his shoulder.
Pierre’s Letter
Pierre Bouchard, Boom Bomm´s friend, brings a letter from Boom.
Bledsoe and Grafalk’s Hate
Because Grafalk Steamship Line is the only thing Niels cares about, and if you work for him, he thinks you should stay forever. But Niels found it impossible to accept Martin’s departure, maybe because Martin is such a clever businessman: he knows how to make a profit.
Summary
The story is about a detective named Vic Warshawski who investigated the crime of her cousin, Benard, also called Boom Boom, who died in an accident by falling under a ship. Vic doesn´t understand it, and intended to find the truth. Boom Boom was an ice-hockey star who used to play with the Black Hawks until he shattered his left ankle, and he got a job at Eudora Grain Company, a lake shipping industry. Vic found Paige Carrington, Boom’s girlfriend, who is a dancer, in Boom Boom´s apartment shuffling papers, and Vic suspects her. Vic met started to meet important people as Lucella Wieser, Martin Bledsoe. Boom Boom´s apartment was a mess and the watchman was dead. Boom Boom´s secretary (Janet) got important documents to Vic. Vic had an accident on car, but she was alive. She went to visit Phillip´s wife, and she said that Bledsoe had spent 2 years in prison for stealing money from the company. When Vic was going to board, a ship it exploded. Phillips was murdered, then she went to see Phillip´s wife, Jeannine and she discovered that Paige Carrington was her sister, and all had been a plot to kill her cousin and tried to kill her too. Vic went to Grafalk´s yacht because she knew he had killed Phillip to cover that his company was not successful and had failed. Grafalk had stolen a lot of money and a lot of people had been involved in that corruption. Grafalk was who ordered to modify Vic´s car to kill her. When Vic told Grafalk all she knew about it, he wanted to kill her but the yacht burned and she jumped out of it. Grafalk killed himself getting into the burning flames. Paige (who had been Grafalk´s mistress) escaped.
Opinion
I enjoyed the reading because I like detective´s thrillers and it was great because the story is not the typical lady endangered that a man got to rescue, Vic is independent and really brave she face her fears. The novel has movement, it takes you from one action to another, it takes you to solve a mystery to find another and at the end all the pieces fit in. Finally the theme is not something new because greed and betrayal for the power have always existed and are very common in police thriller. I like mystery novels, as they are not boring.