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The Last Cheerleader Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Last Cheerleader


A successful L.A. literary agent finds her ex-husband and her best-selling author killed. An old school friend shows up who is suspicious of the medical experiments her husband is performing on humans. Our character is faced with many suspicious characters as she tries to resolve the murders of her writers.
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The review of this Book prepared by Anita Doran






Mira, Dec 2003, 6.50
ISBN: 1551667231

Hollywood based literary agent Mary Beth Conaghan is stunned when she learns her ex husband Arnold and her top selling author Tony Price were murdered side by side. The weapon is an Ivory Chinese dildo, something that the gay community loves. Police Detective Dan Rucker questions Mary Beth who offers nothing to the investigation except that she is sure neither victim was gay.

Not long afterward, Mary Beth goes to meet with another of her writers only to find Craig dead in his motel room with a dildo nearby. As Dan seeks the link to Mary Beth, her high school friend Lindy Van Court seeks sanctuary from her husband with her. Apparently Roger, CEO of Courtland Pharmaceuticals, tossed Lindy out of their home as she objected to his use of illegal drugs on their ailing daughter. Mary Beth soon finds the link between the drug company and her dead writers with only Dan keeping her from joining the dead literary club.

THE LAST CHEERLEADER is an entertaining police procedural romance that cleverly ties the two subplots over the course of the tale through slowly emerging clues. The plot engages the audience from the moment a shocked Mary Beth learns of the dildo murders. Though she and Dan hop into bed too fast to seem realistic, Mary Beth is a solid heroine trying to understand how she is the connection between the homicides of the authors she represents. Meg O'Brien provides a terrific suspense laden story.

Harriet Klausner


The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner



Chapter Analysis of The Last Cheerleader

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book 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% Tone of story    -   suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain?    -   Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story:    -   2000+ (Present) Medical Thriller    -   Yes Medical Plotlets:    -   wild experiments on people    -   unethical drug company What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot?    -   60% Murder of certain profession?    -   writers/editors Kind of investigator    -   amateur citizen investigator Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot?    -   feelings towards lover Crime Thriller    -   Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown)    -   Yes

Main Character

Gender    -   Female Profession/status:    -   journalist    -   business executive Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Race    -   White/American

Setting

United States    -   Yes The US:    -   California City?    -   Yes City:    -   Los Angeles

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment    -   moderately detailed references to deaths Explicit sex in book?    -   Yes What kind of sex:    -   vague references    -   use of artificial tools Unusual forms of death    -   impaled Unusual form of death?    -   Yes Amount of dialog    -   significantly more dialog than descript
Meg O'Brien Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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