Chapter 40: Forty - Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Robby Sassoon drives from Manhattan to Bridgehampton Commons and parks far from the Uncommon Florist. He has researched the owner, Beth Lassiter, learning she was a college softball pitcher, divorced five years ago, and started the shop. More importantly, she has a gambling problem—she bets on baseball—and owes $200,000 to Jeb Bernstein (and thus to Sonny Blum). She plans to close the store and disappear. Robby picks the backdoor lock, enters, and finds Beth at the counter. He covers her mouth, ties her to a chair, and puts tape over her mouth. He tells her he will remove the tape if she does not scream. She claims she can get the money from a rich brother-in-law, but Robby reveals there is no sister. He says his employer wants to make an example of her and shoots her with his Beretta. He stages the scene as a smash-and-grab robbery and leaves, singing a show tune from Les Misérables.
Key Events
- Robby Sassoon stakes out the Uncommon Florist in Bridgehampton Commons, waiting for Beth Lassiter to close.
- He reflects on his research: Beth was a softball pitcher, divorced, and now owes $200,000 due to gambling.
- Robby picks the back door lock and enters silently.
- He restrains Beth, tapes her mouth, and has a brief conversation about her debts.
- Beth pleads for more time, claiming she can get money from a nonexistent sister.
- Robby shoots her, staging the murder as a botched robbery.
- He walks back to his car, singing lines from Les Misérables.
Character Development
Robby Sassoon emerges as a cold, methodical enforcer. He shows no empathy for Beth, even as she cries. He justifies his actions by saying she brought this on herself. His habit of humming show tunes — first Les Misérables, later “Lovely Ladies” — reveals a detached, almost theatrical view of violence. He sees himself as an instrument of consequences.
Beth Lassiter is a tragic figure: a small-business owner ruined by gambling and now killed for her debt. Her desperation is evident in her trembling, her false promise of a rich relative, and her final focus on the flowers she arranged, as if they were for her own funeral.
Jeb Bernstein and Sonny Blum are referenced as the loan chain; Sonny’s decision to make an example of Beth drives the plot, showing the ruthlessness of the criminal hierarchy.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Show Tunes as a Motif: Robby’s singing of Les Misérables songs (e.g., “Look down, you’re standing in your own grave”) mirrors his grim task. The song “Lovely Ladies” (from the same musical) underscores his misogynistic view of Beth as disposable. The contrast between beautiful music and brutal murder highlights his emotional disconnect.
- Flowers as Irony: Beth’s shop is filled with roses, lilies, and orchids. Robby notes that she will be surrounded by flowers, which turns her sanctuary into a deathbed. The final image of her seeing the flowers before being shot reinforces the irony.
- Consequences and Excuses: Robby repeatedly claims that Beth’s gambling addiction and lies caused her fate. This reflects a theme of personal responsibility twisted to justify murder. The chapter argues that even small mistakes can have lethal repercussions in this underworld.
- The Making of an Example: Sonny Blum’s order to kill Beth not for the money but to deter others is a recurring motif in crime fiction, illustrating how debt collectors use terror to maintain control.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter raises the stakes by showing Robby in action as a killer, not just a shyster. It connects the Hamptons’ genteel facade (a flower shop) to the violent debt-collection network that runs through Sonny Blum and Jeb Bernstein. Beth’s backstory humanizes the collateral damage of the gambling world and hints at the investigation that may follow. Robby’s theatrical mannerisms also deepen his character, making him more menacing and memorable. For the reader, it confirms that Robby is willing to murder without remorse, setting up future confrontations.
Study Questions and Answers
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What does Robby’s choice of Les Misérables music reveal about his state of mind during the killing?
The lyrics “Look down, look down, you’re standing in your own grave” foreshadow Beth’s death. Robby’s casual humming shows he treats murder as routine, almost artistic. He aligns himself with the musical’s themes of justice and retribution, but twisted toward brutality. -
How does Beth Lassiter’s backstory (softball pitcher, gambling addiction, plan to disappear) make her a sympathetic victim, and why does the author include it?
By detailing her past as a college athlete and a divorced small-business owner, Patterson makes Beth relatable and human. Her gambling is a flaw, not a villainy. The backstory highlights how ordinary people get ensnared by loan sharks, increasing the emotional impact of her death. -
What is the significance of Robby staging the murder as a “smash-and-grab robbery gone wrong”?
Staging the scene deflects police suspicion away from the loan-shark connection. It indicates that Robby is not only a killer but also a careful planner. The act of cleaning up and walking away calmly emphasizes his professionalism and lack of guilt.