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Perseverance Press, Apr 2005, 13.95, 246 pp. ISBN: 1880284715 In Greenwich Castle in 1573, Lady Appleton's housekeeper Jennet Jaffrey watches in horror as her sister-in-law Sarah takes a jewel from the pocket of her mistress Jeronyma Holme. Sarah explains that Jeronyma steals things from members of the court that Sarah tries to quietly return. This jewel belongs to Elizabeth I and Sarah is stymied as to how stealthily to return it. Sarah dumps the jewel on Jennet and she gives it to the queen with an explanation. She tells her who she works for and shortly thereafter the queen decides to makes a summer pilgrimage and plans to stay at Susanna's manor as one of her stops. Susanna is less than thrilled with the regal visit as she must get her estate ready which entails plenty of hard work and incredible costs. She also hates working with Brian Tymberley, who insures that the Queen is comfortable at any of her respites. Brian and his servant Miles threaten to reveal information that locals want kept secret. However, instead of extortion money, someone kills Miles though most people including Susanna's magistrate lover Nick says it is an accident. When Nick's servant dies, he and Susanna conclude murder and search for a killer. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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