| Betsey Devonshire owns a needlework shop in Excelsior, Minnesota where she employs her good friend Goodwin DuLac. Goodwin or "Goddy" as he is affectionately known, has been in a relationship with an older man, John Nye, who is a successful lawyer. The two have had several arguements in the past but have always made up in the end. This time John throws Goddy out of the house soon after they take a trip to Mexico that Goddy won. Heartbroken, Goddy moves in with Betsey in her apartment above the shop.
When John's secretary calls looking for him, Goddy gets worried. He convinces Betsey to accompany him to John's home, where they find the lawyer dead on the living room floor and their expensive jewelery missing. When it is revealed that Goddy would benefit from John's estate, he is arrested. It is up to Betsey to prove her friend's innocence. Betsey does some sleuthing at John's office, enlisting the help of Susan Lavery, one of his collegues. John's brother Charlie comes to Excelsior and he and Betsey search through the files on John's computer for clues. Between the three of them they discover a side of John that nobody, including Goddy knew about, uncovering both his killer and some dirty secrets about the company he worked for. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very upbeat 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? - 50% Murder of certain profession? 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 - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - money/treasure The antagonists are: - lawyer creatures How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting United States Yes The US: - Midwest Small town? Yes Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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