| Milt Kovac, Sheriff of Prophesy County, Oklahoma, is called upon by an old lover to investigate the disappearance of her teenage son. Milt has intentionally had no contact with Lora, the old flame, in years as she manipulated him into a love affair years before to cover up a series of murders her husband was committing in Milt's jurisdiction. Being first and foremost a lawman of the greatest integrity, Milt starts to investgate. He learns early on that Trent, the missing teen, had joined up with a fledgling religious cult in Prophesy County and that he didn't join alone. A local girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Amanda, joined him. While enroute to the farm where the cult has taken up residence, Milt discovers a murdered girl who is quickly identified as Amanda.
Milt confronts the leader of the cult about the murdered girl found near their abode. The man, Brother Grigsby by name, is immediately defensive of his clan and refuses to allow Milt and his small force of deputies onto the property to investigate. Milt displays his working knowledge of police procedure in securing a search warrant and seizing evidence from the cult. Grigsby is a suspicious acting individual, and some of his followers are really whacko, but Milt is still torn by suspicions about the missing Trent. After all, his father was an active serial killer operating right under Milt's nose. Milt and his deputies conduct a series of searches, interviews, behind the scenes investigations, and a final raid of the cult before the real murderer's identity is revealed. All the while, Milt remains the same unique individual he has always been. He is getting older now (near 60), with a small child and psychiatrist wife at home to care for. He's now established as the Sheriff of Prophecy County and not just a senior deputy reporting to a borderline unethical elected figurehead. His force includes Emmett Hopkins, a cynical and somewhat embittered cop who is arguably a better investigator than Milt. Also included is Jasmine Bodine, the tough but sensitive female deputy and Dalton Pettigrew, who is still pretty slow but seems to have wisened up a bit since the earlier books. Even moreso than before, Milt is still determined to unravel the truth, rescue the hostage, and bring the bad guys to justice. | ||
|
Plot & Themes Tone of story - Dry-cynical Time/era of story: Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Who's the terrorist enemy here? Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 60's-90's Ethnicity/Race Unusual characteristics: Main Adversary Motive of antagonist - jealousy The antagonists are: - cults How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Small town? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
||