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Five Star, Aug 2004, 25.95, 266 pp. ISBN: 1594141886 Magazine free lance writer Grace Beckmann accompanies her husband Albert, a doctor, who is flying his Piper to Alden to pick up his temporarily stranded Chief Resident Dr. Alexander Chang. At the small airport, a pregnant teen asks Grace to take her immediately out of the area, but before she asks her spouse, the girl vanishes. Not long afterward, Grace meets Paige, girlfriend to one of her twin sons. Paige asks Grace to find a missing friend. Grace asks her police pal Detective Morrisey to help her and he shows her a picture of a corpse that turns out to be the girl in Alden. Feeling guilty for failing the pregnant teen, Paige begins looking into missing young ladies and soon forms a pattern that if the abductors learn she has computed, they will kill her. FEAR OF DYING, sequel to the MURDER FLIES LEFT SEAT, is an engaging amateur sleuth medical thriller with some police procedural elements to enhance the plot. The story line moves slowly forward until Paige begins her inquiries and concludes that there is a pattern to the chaos of the kidnapped human females. Though the villain seems too much of a stretch, fans of strong mysteries will relish Paige's courageous, but dangerous investigation. Harriet Klausner | ||
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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% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book 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 - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - insanity How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes 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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