| Movie star Sheila Fane arrives in Honolulu to shoot the few remaining sequences of a movie. She rents a house on the beach. When Sheila throws a big party, she is found murdered in the pavilion just before she is scheduled to make her grand entrance. Charlie Chan is assigned to the case. Tarneverro, a fortuneteller and former friend of the deceased, offers to help Charlie solve the murder. Charlie and Tarneverro arrive at the scene before the guests depart.
Leading the parade of suspects is Bob Fife, Sheila's first husband whom she had contacted again only recently. Chan is also very interested in Alan Jaynes whom Sheila had rejected as a suitor on the day of her murder. The only serious suspect not at the party is an alcoholic beachcomber named Bob Smith who was near the house at the time of the crime. As Charlie's investigation approaches its conclusion, however, he has to admit that too much evidence points to the enigmatic Tarneverro himself-except that the seer seems to be the only one with an airtight alibi. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very upbeat 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? - 60% Special suspect? - lover Murder of certain profession? Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect 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 - 50 % 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: Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Profession/status: Has special powers? Yes Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters Setting Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - Pacific Islands City? Yes City: - Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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