| Chief Detective Barnaby and his young, sometimes rash, sidekick Gavin Troy are called to a small English village with the charming name of Ferne Bassett to unravel a murder and mysterious disappearance. A troubled youth from a high class halfway house has gone missing. The lady of the house guiltily thinks she might be arrested for her drowning and fears blackmail. But while demands for payoff continue to come in, the potential blackmailer is found dead by the river, his face nearly chewed away by animals. The list of suspects is long at first but narrows quickly under Barnaby's wide-ranging inventigation.
Our detective must choose among several possible alternative explanations for what happened, all the while dealing with a daffy busybody, a gay writer and his wife, a former clergyman, a handsome but deranged chauffer, and his own staff. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) 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? - 90% Special suspect? - chronically deranged person Misc. Murder Plotlets - Big focus on forensic evidence 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 - 60 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - money/treasure How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Small town? Yes Misc setting - fancy mansion Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - homosexuals doing their thing Unusual forms of death - asphyxiation Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - mostly dialog |
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