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Fawcett, Sept 2002, 6.99, 320 pp. ISBN 0345447913 It has been over fifteen months since the love of Emma Lord's life was murdered and the owner of the weekly newspaper The Alpine Advocate still grieves as if it happened yesterday. There has been very little excitement in the small Washington town of Alpine and as a result Emma doesn't have any hard news-breaking stories to get her mind off her woes. That all changes when the town judge receives a threatening note and photograph warning her to withdraw her appointment or face the consequences. The judge doesn't have a clue what the letter or picture is about and asks Emma to investigate. Before she gets very far, a forest fire breaks out and when it is finally put out, a dead body is discovered in the woods. These two cases are related but to obtain the truth Emma will have to ferret out connections that existed over three decades ago. The latest Emma Lord mystery is a cleverly designed who done it that is targeted for an audience who likes a cerebral brain teaser. There are several sub-plots that seamlessly tie into the main story line with each one interesting and intriguing. Mary Daheim gives readers an up close and personal look at life in a small northwest town in her first class cozy, THE ALPINE OBITUARY. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) 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% 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: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - money/treasure How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Pacific NW Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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