| A 7-year-old girl named Alicia has been brutally murdered -- pounded in the head with a rock -- in the woods near Monument, Massachusetts. Twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant, a friend of Alicia's, is the prime suspect because he was the last person known to have seen her alive, although there's no physical evidence to tie him to the crime. There's heavy pressure to arrest a suspect, partly because the victim was a friend of Senator Gibbons's daughter, so the local police bring in Trent, a Vermont detective with a reputation as a crack interrogator who always lands a confession.
Trent is undeniably good, and a confession will surely advance his career with the help of Senator Gibbons. But Trent also despises himself because he may be TOO good at getting people to admit guilt, even when they may not be guilty. In his mind he can hear the warnings of his wife Lottie, sadly killed in an auto accident 18 months before, as he works on Jason. Most of the story consists of Trent's careful and sympathetic questioning of the boy in order to land a confession. This novel was Cormier's final book, completed shortly before his death. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Moderately Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70% Kind of investigator Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - a kid Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Eccentric: Yes How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Northeast Small town? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Unusual forms of death - blunt clubbing (like seals) Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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