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UnitSixBlackmailLead-inBackgroundInformationTextualStructureDetailedStudyoftheTextSummaryExercisesBackgroundinformationArthurHailey:BorninLuton,England,in1920,ArthurHaileywaseducatedinEnglishschoolsuntilagefourteen.Afterabriefcareerasanofficeboy,hejoinedtheBritishRoyalAirForcein1939andservedthroughWorldWarII,risingthroughtherankstobecomeapilotandflightlieutenant.In1947,Mr.HaileyemigratedtoCanada,wherehewassuccessivelyarealestatesalesman,businesspapereditorandasalesandadvertisingexecutive.Hebecame,andstillis,aCanadiancitizen.In1956,ArthurHaileyscoredhisfirstwritingsuccesswithaTVdrama,FlightIntoDanger,whichlaterbecameamotionpictureandanovel,RunwayZero-Eight.Sincethen,asanovelistandoneofthegreatstorytellersofourtime,hehasacquiredaworldwidefollowingofdevotedreadersandhisbooksarepublishedintwenty-sevenlanguages.ArthurHaileyandhiswife,Sheila,maketheirhomeatLyfordCayintheBahamas,wheretheirchildren,Jane,StevenandDiane,jointhemduringcollegevacations.BackgroundinformationInthe1960sand1970sArthurHailey,aBritish/Canadianwriter,hadastreamofenormouslysuccessfulnovelssetinverydifferentworkplaces,asindicatedbysomeoftheirtitles:Hotel,Airport,Wheels,theEveningNews.ThoughaCanadianhimself,hesetthesceneofmostofhisworksintheUnitedStates.Eachofhisbooksdealswithoneparticularfieldofsociety.Thisismadeclearbythetitlesofhisbooks.ItisthispeculiarityofhisthatisvaluetothosewhoareeagertolearnaboutcontemporaryAmericansociety.BackgroundinformationAListofArthurHailey’sNovelsRUNWAYZERO-EIGHT.......................................1958THEFINALDIAGNOSIS.....................................1959INHIGHPLACES..........................................1960HOTEL...................................................1965AIRPORT.................................................1968WHEELS..................................................1971THEMONEYCHANGERS.......................................1975OVERLOAD................................................1979STRONGMEDICINE.........................................1984THEEVENINGNEWS........................................1990DETECTIVE...............................................1997BackgroundinformationAboutthenovelHotel–TheSt.GregoryHotelisthelargestinNewOrleans,Louisiana.For4daysfromMondayeveningtoFriday,thehotelgoesthroughasuccessionofdramaticevents.Withthehotel’smortgageduebytheweekendandwithnochanceofgettingfurtherrenewal,theowner,WarrenTrent,reluctantlymakesuphismindtosellhishoteltoachainhotelowner,CurtisO’Keefe.Backgroundinformation–PeterMcDermott,theassistantgeneralmanager,hastotackleseveralotherknottyproblems:handlinganattemptedrapewhichhasoccurredinoneofthehotel’srooms;catchingaprofessionalthiefoperatinginthehotel;pacifyingawholeconventionofseveralhundreddentiststoputtingupamemberoftheconvention--ablackdoctor.ThenthereistheDukeofCroydon.Backgroundinformation–TheDukeisaninternationallyfamousstatesmanandthenewly-appointedBritishambassadortoWashington.HeandhiswifeoccupythebestsuiteinSt.Gergory.OnMondayeveningwhiledrivingbackwithhiswifefromagamblinghouse,theDukeandtheDuchess,however,driveaway.Thehit-and-runbecomestopsensationalnewsinNewOrleans.Thehotel’schiefhousedetectiveOgilvienoticesthebatteredcarwhenitcomesback.Insteadofreportingthistothepolice,hegoestoseetheDukeandtheDuchess.Hepromisestokeepquietaboutwhatheknowsandasksforalargesumofmoneyinreturnforthefavour.TheDuke,nowtotallyatalossastohowtoact,hidesbehindtheskirtofherwife.TheDuchessunderstandsthattogetthemselvesoutofthismess,thecarhastobedrivenoutofthesouthwherepeoplearealertedaboutthehit-and-run.Backgroundinformation–SosheofferstopayOgilviemorethanhehasaskedonconditionthathedrivesthecartoChicagoupinthenorth.Thegreedydetectiveagrees.Atoneo’clockThursdaymorningOgilviegetsthecaroutofthegarage.Heisseenleavingbyonepersononly,byPeterMcDermott,theassistantgeneralmanager.Thoughitstrikeshimasodd,Peterdoesnotlinkthisupwiththehit-and-rununtillatethatafternoonwhenhewitnessesthefuneralofthetwovictimsoftheaccident.Hecontactspoliceheadquartersrightaway.Bythistime,OgilviehascrossedLouisianaandMississippi,drivingbynightandconcealingthecarbyday.Hethinksthateverythingisgoingsmoothly,littleknowingthatheisalreadybeingfollowedbytheHighwaypatrolcruisers.InTennessee,heiscaughtandsentbacktoNewOrleans.Backgroundinformation–AtfirsttheDuchesstriestodenyeverything,butdoesn’tsucceedinconvincingthepolice.TheDukethendecidestogoovertopoliceheadquartersbeforetheycomeforhim,wishingtosavethelittleshredsofdecencyleftinhim.Hetakesanelevatortogodown.Thiselevatorwhichhasbeenoutoforderforsometimeandbadlyinneedofrepairbreaksdown.Asitgoesdown,onesetofclampsholdsandtheotherfails.Theelevatorcartwists,bucklesandsplitsopen,throwingtheDukeninefloorsdowntothecementground.Hediesinstantly.Backgroundinformation–However,thenovelendswithapleasantsurprise.Asick,oldeccentricmanstayinginthehotelturnsouttobeanextremelywealthymanfromMontreal,Canada.Earlier,hefellseriouslyillandwassavedbyPeterandhisgirlfriend.Toshowhisgratitudeandrepaytheirkindness,hebuysthehotelfromitsformerownerandmakesPeterthenewexecutiv