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Morrow, Feb 2002, 23.95, 256 pp. ISBN: 0380978431 Patsy Avery asks her friend caterer Faith Fairchild to teach a cooking course for idiots at the all male high school, Mansfield Academy in Aleford, Massachusetts. Patsy actually wants Faith to use the cooking course as a cover to ferret out who is committing hate crimes against African-American scholarship student Daryl Martin. The amateur sleuth agrees though she loathes teaching male teenagers. As Faith teaches her class, she begins to investigate the students who most likely sent the hateful e-mail, nasty newspaper clippings, and the noose to Daryl. However, her inquiries take a twist when someone murders Faith's prime suspect Sloane Buxton with Daryl as the prime suspect. Now Faith feels really obligated to prove the Roxbury resident is not only innocent but also the victim of a heinous crime. When THE BODY IN THE BONFIRE stays focused on the hate crime, readers receive a tremendous regional cozy. When the plot spins into a murder mystery, the story line remains solid and well written, but much of the excitement is lost as if the air was let out of the balloon. Katherine Hall Paige cooks an engaging morsel that cozy and culinary mystery readers will take pleasure in especially when the delightful lead character teaches her students how to cook. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - depressing/sad How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% 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 - 60 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - insanity How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Northeast Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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