Morrow, May 2005, 23.95, 304 pp. ISBN: 0060567074 When farmer Dave comes to Sarasota lawyer Lillian Belle Rosemary Cleary with a truckload of Muscatine wine, he meets her legal secretary Bonita and her son Benny. Since Lilly is working, he takes Benny to look for jaguars in the Myakka River State park. The trip ends with Dave and his friend Waylon arrested for stealing the wine from his employer. Lilly hires Phillip Cohen to represent him and he makes it clear that he is interested in her. Benny tells Lilly that they found a corpse and a bag of money when they were in the park. Lilly goes to Dave's employer to ask him to drop the charges and does not say anything about the dead man or the money to the police. A few days later, Dave's employer is found dead in a homicide intended to look like an accident. Kenneth, a partner in the firm where Lilly works, harasses Bonita who is related to Dave's employer's wife; Lilly has no idea what his motivation could be. Shortly thereafter Kenneth is killed. Lilly knows the three murders are linked, but trying to learn how could make her the next victim. Harriet Klausner | ||
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? - 70% 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: - Female Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - money/treasure How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Southeast Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |