| Karen Shepard's Don't I Know You? is an obliquely told whodunit mystery that unfolds in three intertwining narratives. The book opens up in 1976 in New York City's Upper West Side. Seven-year-old Steven Engels comes home to find his mother Gina dead on the floor. The stunned boy hides in a closet where he is found by his mother's boyfriend Phil. The Police and Medical Examiner show up at the scene and Steven is whisked away by Detective McGuire and interrogated leaving the impression that Phil was the number one suspect and continuing to be a person of interest over the next year. The story then shifts as a strange woman visits Lily Chin to warn her about her future husband Nikolai Belov. The connection? The woman was a former lover of Nickolai and his secret life might involve Gina. Lily confronts Nikolai about his involvement leaving Lily in a precarious position when Nikolai tells her his story. A Decade later, Louise Carpanetti, the upstairs neighbor of Gina is questioned by the lawyer of Steven's father. Louise has terminal cancer and she thinks her emotionally challenged son had committed the murder. On her deathbed, just a few days before the case would go to court, Louise questions Michael in hopes of gleaming something from his answers. But it was to no avail, she got no concrete answer from him decides she'd rather die then to know the truth. A tremendous character study and mystery wrapped into one.
| ||
|
Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Moderately Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - a kid Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting City? Yes City: - New York Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies Unusual forms of death - perforation--swords/knives Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
||