| The brutal murder of 15-year-old Andrea Cavanaugh shattered the world of her young sister, Ellie. Citing 'too much grief' under one roof, Ellie's mother decides to leave her state trooper husband, gaining custody of Ellie.
It was Ellie's testimony that helped convict 19-year-old Robson Westefield, son of a wealthy, prominent family. However, doubt has remained in the minds of some members of the community as to his actual guilt. 23 years later, a hardened Ellie returns to her old hometown to protest Westerfield's upcoming parole, and takes on the unenviable job of proving his absolute guilt in the face of his protestations of innocence. Written in the first person, the reader gets wonderful insight into the grief, pain and suffering a grieving family goes through, and how 'the blame game' can have lasting and devastating effects. Mary Higgins Clark is back on top of her game, and makes Ellie a very strong and compelling character who takes on her sister's supposed killer at all costs. | ||
|
Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 50% Murder of certain profession? Misc. Murder Plotlets - "All in the family" murder - solving long-past murder - 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 - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes Is MAIN CHARACTER an EVIL criminal? Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - kicks How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes Small town? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies Amount of dialog - mostly dialog |
||