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The Sting of Death Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Sting of Death




St. Martin's, August 2004, 23.95, 224 pp.
ISBN 0312316550

Drew Slocombe is an undertaker who does natural burials behind his house which is situated on ten acres of land. He also has a local and national reputation as an amateur sleuth because he solved some murder investigations. Perhaps that is why his wife's cousin Penn comes to him when her cousin Justine Pereira turns up missing. Justine is living on Penn and Sheena's farm baby sitting their daughter Georgia in exchange for reduced rent and a barn to do her pottery.
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Justine was supposed to meet Pen for lunch but never showed up and her search of Justine's house made her think that Justine left in a hurry. Pen becomes interested in the case and with his work assistant Maggs Beacon searches the house and finds enough evidence to report Justine's disappearance to Detective Sargent Pen Cooper. The plot thickens when Justine shows up at her mother Roma's house saying Pen kidnapped her and the body of Georgia is found in a ditch on the Renton farm. Penn disappears leaving everyone to wonder what was really going on at the Renton farm.

The protagonists from Rebecca Tope's two series come together in THE STING OF DEATH to solve a crime that leaves the policeman and the undertaker totally confused. The Rentons are a strange couple with Sheena believing her daughter was at her mother in law's house and Phillip saying he had an affair with Justine who took Georgia with her when she went camping. They are very neglectful parents but the police cast their suspicions until mother Roma comes up with a brilliant way of getting at the truth.

Harriet Klausner


The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner



Chapter Analysis of The Sting of Death

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 10%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 40%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 40%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) What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot?    -   70% Kind of investigator    -   police procedural, British Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot?    -   feelings towards family/friends Crime Thriller    -   Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown)    -   Yes

Main Character

Gender    -   Male Profession/status:    -   police/lawman Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Race    -   White/American

Setting

Europe    -   Yes European country:    -   England/UK

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog    -   significantly more dialog than descript

Books with storylines, themes & endings like The Sting of Death

Rebecca Tope Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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