| Ninety year old General Fentiman is found dead in his usual chair at the Bellona Club. Normally, this would not cause a sensation, he had a bad heart, but his sister also died on the same day. Her will stipulated that if her brother died first, he would inherit almost a half a million dollars. If he did not, her cousin/companion, Ann Dorland, would inherit the bulk of her estate. The general's grandsons and heirs, Robert and George Fentiman, are now in a legal battle.
Lord Peter Wimsey has been asked to determine the time of the old man's death. Wimsey has suspicions about the death because of the scientific mannerisms of rigor mortis. He discovers that the general's body had been moved after death. An exhumation proves that General Fentiman was poisoned by an overdose of Digitalis, a heart medication. Only Robert seems to know the elusive Mr. Oliver who saw the old man the night before his death. George's wife also takes heart medication, and Ms. Dorland does not appear to be very mournful. All of the heirs are suspects and the doctor who treated the general. Through several false clues and tailing suspects, Lord Wimsey solves the murder of General Fentiman. | ||
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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 - Big focus on autopsies What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80% Special suspect? - relative 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 - 70 % 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 Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Misc setting - resort/hotel Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Unusual forms of death - poisoning Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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