| Menley Nichols has been heartbroken and depressed since the death of her son, Bobby, who was killed when the car she was driving was struck by a train. This loss put a strain on her marriage with husband Adam, a criminal lawyer.
However, life must go on, and the birth of their daughter Hannah brings new promise to their relationship. Taking a vacation on Cape Cod seems just the remedy for the three of them from the hectic pace of New York - and Menley could surely use the peace and quiet to help get over panic attacks and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that resulted from the accident that claimed Bobby. While on the Cape, the Nicholses rent a magnificent beach house named "Remember House", built by a ship's captain for his bride. It comes with a unique history that Menley researches extensively, choosing to use the Cape as a setting for her new children's novel. Their idyllic vacation is soon disturbed by a local case involving the supposed drowning of the daughter of a wealthy Cape Cod family, a woman named Vivian. Menley convinces Adam to defend Scott, Vivian's husband, who stands accused of causing her death on the grounds that he had much to profit if Vivian died. Further complicating matters is the fact that Remember House seems to have its share of unexplained sounds and events. At certain times at night when Menley is alone, she hears the sound of a train roaring through the house, and most unsettling of all, the voice of her dead son calling: "Mommy, mommy." These strange happenings threaten to totally unhinge Menley mentally and emotionally, and once again places her relationship with Adam in jeopardy. Is Menley truly losing her mind, or is there some validity to what she is experiencing? Almost too late she realises there *is* something sinister going on in Remember House, and what it is, she may not survive. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 50% Misc. Murder Plotlets - cooped up in spooky house - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Motive of antagonist - money/treasure How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting United States Yes Writing Style Unusual forms of death - drowned Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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