Private Investigator Charlie Parker is trying to settle down to a quiet life with his pregnant girlfriend Rachel, so the last thing he needs is a desperate call for help from his old friend Elliott Norton. Norton has taken on the job of defending a young black man accused of the rape and murder of a powerful and wealthy white industrialist in South Carolina. Can Charlie help to keep Norton's client alive long enough to stand trial? As he is reluctantly drawn into the case, keeping Norton's client alive turns out to be the least of Charlie Parker's troubles.
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% Special suspect? - best friend Murder of certain profession? Misc. Murder Plotlets - character killed during/after sexing - local police w/ IQ of a houseplant - "All in the family" murder - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect 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 - 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: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 60's-90's Profession/status: Eccentric: Yes Motive of antagonist - power The antagonists are: - rednecks 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 - Deep South Small town? Yes Small town people: - hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids Misc setting - prison Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references - rape (yeech!) Unusual forms of death - hanging - frying (cooking) - rough sex - flamed - drowned - impaled - perforation--bullets - perforation--swords/knives - blunt clubbing (like seals) Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |