Scotland Yard's Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers are teamed up for the first time to investigate the beheading murder of William Teys in Yorkshire. His daughter Roberta has confessed to the killing, but she is in a catatonic state and the locals represented by the parish priest seem to think she is not really guilty. Circumstances seem to indicate that she may well be innocent,
Lynley and Havers discover that Teys' young wife had run off when her daughters were small as had Roberta's sister when she was sixteen. Teys had been about to remarry a widow with a young daughter. They also learn about a dead new born baby that had been found on the grounds of a ruined abbey. They are led to search for Teys' missing wife and daughter so that they can find out what really happened. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of story - depressing/sad How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% Special suspect? - relative Murder of certain profession? Misc. Murder Plotlets - "All in the family" murder Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - revenge The antagonists are: - government bureaucracy How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |