| Claire Montrose (series protagonist) is on her daily jog when she finds a diamond ring in the mortar of an old wall where she stops to stretch. Claire's housemate Charlotte 'Charlie' Heidenbruch, an 80-something Holocaust survivor, knows to whom the ring belonged. But she thought the woman returned the ring to her fiancé Allen Lisac before the Korean War. Claire had found the ring in the wall around the Lisac's house.
Claire begins her research based on the Charlie's remembrances of the group of young people who frequented the Lisac house in the 1950s. She and Charlie work together to determine how the ring got in the wall and conclude that the original owner had been murdered--fifty years earlier. Their interviews with other members of the old group help Claire determine who was responsible. This puts both Claire and Charlie in jeopardy from the eccentric murderer. The detailed remembrance and back story from Charlie give an interesting picture of 1950s Portland. Characters are well drawn. | ||
|
Plot & Themes Time/era of story: Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Age: - 20's-30's Main Adversary Motive of antagonist - jealousy Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting United States Yes The US: - Pacific NW Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
||