Peter Out

peter







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–verb (used without object) 

1. to diminish gradually and stop; dwindle to nothing: 



The [hot water] always peters out in the middle of my shower.  



2. to tire; exhaust (usually used as a past participle): I'[m] peter[ed] out after that walk.  





　　

It's not giving away much to say that the central [crime] peters out halfway through the movie, after a botched ransom effort brings only shame. But Kenzie continues his investigation and uncovers a conspiracy of other would-be saviors doing seriously ugly things for all the right reasons. They have a code, too. In a grimly ironic reversal of the detective's role as restorer of moral order, the harder Kenzie pokes around, the murkier and more damning his choices get—even the seemingly obvious one of whether to protect the innocent. 





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