| The basis for this story is set in the past. Twenty-odd years ago a crime was committed which impacts on the choice of one woman - Orla McLeod - to become a member of an elite undercover Glasgow Police force.
A current sting operation leaves 5 dead and a 9-year-old, almost autistic boy, Orla's to care for and protect. Attempting to avenge the tortuous death of her policeman lover, it slowly becomes clear that the man who spent 20 years in prison for the murder of Orla's father and brother may be involved in this more current crimewave. Violence has a tangable reality in the thoughtful, sparsly elegant writing of Ms Scott. Both the inner city setting of Glasgow and the wild highlands of Scotland are delineated with the generosity of love. Most of all, however, it is the characters who make this work memorable. Both Orla and the primary villain are devastatingly strong and abysmally frail, while the boy's ambiguities are tender and heartbreaking. | ||
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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? - 20% Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder - - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book The crook is.... - on the run from the law Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 30 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % 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 - revenge How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Mountains/Cliffs Yes Mountains: - climbing on trails City? Yes City: - dangerous 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 Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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