| The novel opens as the news staff of The Weekly Islander pays for lunch at a restaurant. The editor Dave Bowie and founder Vinge Teague test young intern Stephanie McCann's powers of deduction regarding their tipping procedure. The friendly assessment becomes more intense as the elderly island natives and Stephanie return to the office, and she asks if the veteran reporters have "ever come across a real unexplained mystery".
The third-person narrative concerns the investigation of the body of an unidentified man found on a tiny island off the coast of Maine. Lacking any identification or obvious clues, the case reaches nothing but repeated dead-ends. Well over a year later the man is identified, but all further important questions remain unanswered. The two-man staff of the island newspaper maintain a longstanding fascination with the case, and twenty-five years later use the mysterious tale to gain the friendship and test the investigative abilities of a postgrad intern rookie reporter. On April 24, 1980, two teenagers stumbled across a body.The body was found slumped against a trash can, and carrying no identification. The body had no clear indicatons of foul play. Cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation. Every potential clue seems to bring forth small revelations.But at the same time, the mystery grows deeper. More than a year later, the body is finally identified and the John Doe becomes known as The Colorado Kid. Eventually the man's identity is revealed, and he is identified as James Cogan of Netherland, Colorado. Everyone involved with the case is at a loss as to how the man could have gotten to a beach on a Maine island in the five hours since he had last been seen alive. Will they be able to resolve a 25 year old murder mystery | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story: Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 80 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 0 % 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 Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths |
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