| Private Investigator Leonard Townsend is based in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, and is used to dealing with local problems such as trailing wayward spouses or locating missing pets. When Ruth Small asks him to find out just how bad her daughter's new boyfriend might be and if the couple are involved in drugs, Leonard doesn't expect too much excitement.
What does excite him, however, is a breathless message left on his answer phone from someone called Marilyn. She says she needs his help, but doesn't explain what sort of help, nor does she leave a phone number - only a promise to contact him again. While Leonard ponders Marilyn's cryptic message, Ruth Small's daughter, Melissa, is found murdered - stabbed and strangled. With few clues to follow, Leonard begins to explore Melissa's dark past and in doing so, unravels some of the local residents' dirty secrets. In the meantime, Leonard's only suspects in the case are murdered before he has a chance to question them. Marilyn suddenly turns up on Leonard's doorstep and it is clear that she is in the middle of the whole mess. The two band together to find and stop the murderer, as they realize they could both be next on his list. What gives this mystery an extra boost is not only the look-a-like Marilyn Monroe character but the witty banter between Leonard and the local police detective, Walter Hughes. The two are clearly the "good ole boys" version of Starsky and Hutch. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very humorous How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80% Murder of certain profession? Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Main Adversary Identity: - Female Age: - 20's-30's Motive of antagonist - jealousy How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes Small town? Yes Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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