| The Assistant Prosecutor (Hammond Cross) for Charleston is dragged into a murder investigation of a prominent figure (Lute Pettijohn) in Charleston who had many enemies. Hammond is the prosecutor who is given the case to prosecute, but when he realizes that the main suspect is a woman (Dr. Alex Ladd) who he met at a County Fair and made love to the night of the murder, he can not find it in himself to tell the police investigator and the other Assistant Prosecutor that he knows the suspect. He thinks he is protecting her at first then as evidence reveals itself, he wants to also protect his career. He has become the perfect alibi, he realizes, because he wasn't upfront about knowing her. He did not know her well, they shared one night together, but it was very different for him. He wants to prove her innocence, but by doing so, he puts himself at risk. | ||
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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? - 80% Special suspect? - lover Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect - Big focus on forensic evidence Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 30 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % 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: Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Female Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Eccentric: Yes Motive of antagonist - power How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - descript. of breasts Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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