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Ceremony In Death Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Ceremony In Death


While investigating the death of a fellow police officer, Eve finds herself embroiled in the eternal fight between good and evil. Eve finds her former trainer and partner Feeney traumatised by the death of a close friend Frank Wojinski. At Frank's funeral, his granddaughter Alice asks Eve to meet with her alone. Alice tells Eve that she used to be involved with a Satanic cult and that she had witnessed Selina Cross and Alban murdering a young child on the altar. She fears that her grandfather had been killed by the same cult members. Immediately after meeting with Eve, Alice dies in a freak accident that raises Eve's suspicions.
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Meanwhile, Commander Whitney asks Eve to conduct an investigation into Frank's death after an autopsy reveals traces of drugs in his bloodstream but orders her to not share any data with Feeney. Eve and Peabody question Selina at her home where Eve's questions and insulting comments fire Selina into a furious rage.
Eve and Roarke visit the Athame, a club run by Selina and Alban, and meets Lobar, another one of the cult's apprentices. The next morning, Lobar is found dead in front of Roarke's home, supposedly killed by someone who hates Devil worship. But before that, Alice's brother Jamie breaks into their home to get more data about the investigation into his sister's death.

At Alice's viewing ceremony, a prominent banker in the city, Wineburg, is killed. The investigation leads Eve and Peabody to Isis and Charles Forte who runs a Wiccan shop where Alice used to work till shortly before her death. Though Eve's initial impression tells her that Isis and Charles are innocent, Nadine tells her that Charles' father was a serial killer who killed a number of people in the name of religion.

Roarke finds that Wineburg had been a member of Selina's cult. Eve brings in Selina for questioning. Selina's lawyer Louis, who is also a part of the cult, get frightened after seeing what happened to Lobar and gets ready to confess everything to the police. But before he can do so, Louis is killed by Marium, a girl who has been newly recruited into the Wiccan club run by Isis and Chas.

Eve arrests Charles for the murders but the real killer is still out there and the next victim is none other that Eve herself.
Best part of story, including ending: One of the best books in the In Death series, the suspense does not let go till the last page. This book also explore's Eve's and Roarke's marriage and her relationship with Feeney.

Best scene in story: Feeney explodes at Eve for investigating Frank's death and keeping the information away from him. Eve, who considers Feeney as her father, is broken by his accusation that she does not know what it means to be a part of a family. Later, Roarke tells Feeney how Eve was forced by Whitney to not disclose investigation details to anyone. He also tells her about Eve's traumatic childhood at the hands of her own father and how she had started considering Feeney in his place for the past ten years. Feeney is overcome by guilt and apologizes the next morning to Eve and says that he is proud of her for being true to her duty.

Opinion about the main character: Eve does not like to considered emotional or sentimental and tries to hide her emotions all the time. At the beginning of the case, she is confused between her loyalties to the department and her feelings towards Feeney, but still does what is expected of her even if it tears her apart.

The review of this Book prepared by Amrita Nandagopal a Level 4 Yellow-Headed Blackbird scholar

Chapter Analysis of Ceremony In Death

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 20%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 50%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 20%How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) 10% Tone of story    -   suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain?    -   Challenging Time/era of story:    -   near future What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot?    -   70% Special suspect?    -   chronically deranged person Kind of investigator    -   police procedural, American Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book The crook is....    -   stalking/killing innocents Any non-mystery subplot?    -   cult Crime Thriller    -   Yes Is MAIN CHARACTER an EVIL criminal?    -   Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown)    -   Yes

Main Character

Gender    -   Female Profession/status:    -   police/lawman Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Race    -   White/American Unusual characteristics:    -   Cynical or arrogant

Setting

City?    -   Yes City:    -   New York

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies Explicit sex in book?    -   Yes What kind of sex:    -   vague references    -   descript of kissing    -   touching of anatomy    -   actual description of sex Unusual forms of death    -   run over Unusual form of death?    -   Yes Amount of dialog    -   significantly more dialog than descript

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J.D. Robb Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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