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Book Review By Sandra Calhoune
Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

Kate Klein Borowitz, homemaker and mother of three kids (Sophie and twins Sam & Jack) is living in Upchurch, a small town in the suburbs of Connecticut. Kate's husband, Ben Borowitz, is a workaholic who owns his own political consulting firm. As a former journalist/writer who lived and worked in Manhattan, Kate is now a full-time mother dealing with playdates, the supermommmies of suburbia and the post pregnancy pounds that just seem to linger around her waistline. When one of the most glamorous mommies, Kitty Cavanaugh, invites Kate over to her house, Kate is thrilled by the invitation. Kitty informs Kate that they have an acquaintance in common, although she does not reveal the name of the person. When Kate shows up at Kitty's house, kids in tow, she finds Kitty murdered in her kitchen with a knife sticking out of her body. Kate immediately uses Kitty's phone and calls the police. Kate is even further shocked when she spies a piece of paper by Kitty's phone with an all too familiar New York telephone number on it. The phone number belongs to Evan McKenna, Kate's ex boyfriend and the one who got away. For reasons unknown even to herself, Kate seizes the piece of paper so that the police don't see it. Kate deduces that Evan was the acquaintance that she and Kitty had in common. Kate becomes consumed with Kitty's murder, and against the advice of the police and her husband, starts sticking her nose in Kitty's personal and professional business. Kate discovers that Kitty was the ghostwriter for a popular television personality, Laura Lynn Baird.   Kitty wrote the column The Good Mother which was attributed to Laura. After doing a little digging Kate discovers that Laura and Kitty had a very lucrative book deal in the works. Kate wonders if the book deal was a motive for murder. With the help of her zany best friend, Janie Segal, Kate hits the trail and starts zooming in on suspects. Despite her personal feelings Kate knows that she has to face the possiblity that her old love Evan could be the murderer. As Evan pops back into the picture Kate must deal with lingering feelings for her old love and catch a killer.


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - Dry-cynical
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 50%
Special suspect? - lover
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: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Small town? Yes
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Explicit sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Unusual forms of death - perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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