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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
The Sunken Sailor by Elizabeth Foxwell


(editor)
Berkley, Apr 2004, 22.95, 288 pp.
ISBN: 0425194286

Between the world wars, the aristocracy tries to return to what they once had. In Rutfordshire, Daisy the Dowager Duchess of Faughstrayne hosts a weekend party with an eclectic assortment of guests. Among the attendees are wealthy American Admiral Cornelius Brandon and his son Whitchell, and the Duchess' neighbor Sir Gerry. The latter finds the murdered corpse of the Admiral.

Sir Gerry considers himself an amateur sleuth so he decides to investigate the situation after notifying Chief Inspector Reggie Arbuthnot of the homicide. Reggie wants Sir Gerry to stay out of the case except as a witness because he is jealous that the amateur always solves cases before he can.

Sir Gerry finds the body of the next victim Consuella, the new Duchess of Faughstrayne. More deaths follow and soon Reggie realizes that several of the guests are not what they seem and also have motives, but which one would kill still remains unsolved.

THE SUNKEN SAILOR is a round robin work in which fourteen authors provide a chapter that leads to the next writer's segment. This results in many unexpected twists and turns in a plot that showcases several different writing styles that somehow blends together into a fine cohesive story line that is a treat for readers.

Harriet Klausner


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Kind of investigator
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 - 40 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
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 - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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