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Dell, Nov 2004, 6.99, 400 pp. ISBN: 0440241758 As a gift to his wife, Carl Henderson hires interior designer Erin Gilbert to redo their bedroom. When Erin arrives at her client's home, she finds her competitor Steve Sullivan is redesigning the den of the Henderson's neighbor Kevin McBride. A third neighbor Randy Axelrod sets up a competition between the rival designers with the winner getting a story in his magazine Denver Lifestyles. Erin and Steve enter the contest because both know that the free publicity should bring many new customers. Carl's son Taylor works with both designers. He opens a bottle of cyanide that is in the back of Erin's van. She notices some missing, but he denies taking any when she confronts him. Later that day, Randy keels over; he dies at the hospital. Erin's information leads to a toxic screening that shows he died from poisoning. Erin has a second reason to regret taking the job when she finds her baby picture on Carl's wall. Having been adopted, she believes her biological parent is nearby. Not long afterward, someone shoots at her car. Although she promised her adopted mom to not seek out her biological parents, events force her to reconsider her vow before a killer murders her too. Harriet Klausner | ||
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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 - Female 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 United States Yes The US: - West 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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