Before there were museums in New York, there were personal oddities put on display by private collectors, these displays were called cabinets of curiosities. When a construction crew uncovers 36 bodies, all with parts of there spine removed, burried in the basement of what was once a cabinet of curiosity display 130 years ago, it draws the interest of special agent Pendergast, who with archaeologist Nora Kelly, discover that Enoch Leng, in the late 1800's used the missing spinal parts in an attempt to produce an elixer enabling him to prolong his life.
Shortly after an article in the paper appeared, discribing the murders and the theory behind them, new murder victems, all killed in the same fashion as those first discovered, start appearing. While the police are searching for a copy cat killer, Agent pendergast and Nora Kelly, convinced the key to the new murders lay burried in the past, try and find out as much about the mysterious Enoch Leng and his work as they can in order to determine if these new murders are the work of a copy cat killer or the work of Leng himself. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given Time/era of story: Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 90% Special suspect? - chronically deranged person Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 40 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Unusual characteristics: Main Adversary How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting City? Yes City: - New York Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture Unusual forms of death - perforation--swords/knives Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |