Five Star, Dec 2004, 25.95, 206 pp. ISBN: 1594141908 Following the death of her husband, Cornelia Upshaw and her three year old daughter Heather relocate from Savannah to live with her artist sister in Manhattan. Not needing to pay rent, Cornelia works as a temp for Metropolitan Office Professionals, a firm that finds her short term secretarial work and provides child care services. Cornelia currently works for Dayborne Ventures Executive Vice President J. Abercrombie Davis, a control freak of the worst order. Half way through her six week stint, Davis' office remains closed all day until Cornelia tries to reach him via the intercom. When they go into his office they find him dead. Lieutenant Victor Kosciusko and Detective Charlie Morton investigate when the autopsy reveals that the deceased was poisoned. Victor and Cornelia surprise themselves because of an immediate attraction that must remain on hold until the investigation is completed, but a killer stalks the office with Cornelia on the short list for interfering with another murder attempt. This exhilarating investigative tale takes its time to introduce Cornelia, the center who holds the tale together. Once the murder occurs, the story line takes off on two planes that of a classic police procedural aided by an amateur sleuth who learned what to do by reading mystery novels. 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% Murder of certain profession? 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 - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: 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 The US: - Northeast Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |