For someone who doesn't like to get involved in other people's affairs, Lily Bard seems to have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In book #4 of Charlaine Harris' superb Lily Bard mystery series, Lily discovers lifelong Shakespeare resident Deedra Dean murdered inside a car parked in a woodsy area outside of town. Lily quickly becomes a suspect when it is discovered that Deedra died of a severe blow to the chest - a blow that could only have been delivered by a martial arts expert. The sheriff becomes even more suspicious regarding her involvement when Deedra's mother asks Lily to help her clean Deedra's apartment, but Lily is determined not to get involved this time and fully intends to leave the case in Sheriff Marta Schuster's capable hands. However, Deedra's notoriously promiscuous lifestyle provides an extensive list of suspects, but very few clues. Much as Lily disliked Deedra in life, she feels that she has no choice but to resume the role of amateur detective and join the investigation.
Once again, a fabulous book from the superb author, Charlaine Harris. With every book Lily Bard and the other characters who reside in Shakespeare become more fleshed out and more entertaining. Lily is really starting to develop into a real person again after being violently assaulted years before and it is fun to see her change. I thought that the mystery plot this time was wonderful and had a nice little surprise twist at the end. For anyone who enjoys mysteries, I cannot recommend this series enough! | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of story - very upbeat How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 50% Special suspect? - investigator him/herself Misc. Murder Plotlets - character killed during/after sexing - 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 - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % 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 Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - revenge How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting United States Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |