| The CIA asks Mrs. Pollifax to take pictures with a secret camera at a funeral, but is not told why. Then she is sent to Sicily and met by an agent, Kate, who was vacationing with her aunt at her home the Via Franca. They meet a man named Farrell, who has a wounded ankle, in a restaurant. He informs them that he was hired by a man named Vica to remove a document, supposedly with Julius Caesar's signature, from a safe. While he was opening the safe he was shot at. Now he is being chased.
Mrs. Pollifax and Kate hide Farrell at the Via Franca. Farrell later informs Mrs. Pollifax that he thinks he has seen "Aristotle," an old enemy who is supposed to be serving a life sentence in a prison in France for multiple murders. Mrs. Pollifax also knows Aristotle, and is later able to identify him. Meanwhile, Farrell has became interested in some art pieces found at the Via Franca, some of which prove to be forgeries and some which prove to be valuable artifacts. Farrell decides to try and retrieve the document form the safe again, and he and Kate and Mrs. Pollifax plan a nighttime raid. During all of the commotion, Farrell finds himself falling in love with Kate. When the Via Franca is attacked by the men who want what Farrell was able to take from the safe, Mrs. Pollifax is called on to use her karate skills which prove indispensable. With the help of the villagers whom Kate's aunt helps support, they are able to defend the Via Franca from the attackers and hold Aristotle hostage until help arrives from the mainland. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very upbeat Time/era of story: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Crime plotlets: General Crime (including known murderer) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 60's-90's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power The antagonists are: - foreign organized crime How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Europe Yes European country: - Italy Island? Yes Small town? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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