| Wexford is a policeman in a middling size British town. The case begins when a piece of concrete is dropped from a bridge onto a car. Later, a young woman who was driving under the bridge at the time turns up dead. She had a thousand pounds in her pocket, which no one can account for. Another young woman, an acquaintance of the first victim, turns up dead also. Wexford is led to believe the murders are connected and that the two victims were involved in a shady scheme to make money, but whether it was blackmail or something else, he is not sure. One subplot includes the first victim's young son. Wexford is haunted by the fact that the grandparents don't appear to love the child. Another subplot involves Wexford's daughter who has agreed to bear a child for another woman and her fiance. Wexford and his wife do not understand how she can contemplate giving away a child. Yet another subplot concerns a policewoman Wexford is working with, a young, very politically correct woman, who considers Wexford hopelessly old fashioned in his social views. She is attracted to another policeman, of Indian parentage. In addition to being a police procedural about collecting clues and interviewing suspects, the book also takes a small look at racial sexual, and parent child relationships. | ||
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Plot & Themes How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given 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 - 0 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 60's-90's Ethnicity/Race Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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