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The Unexpected Guest Book Summary and Study Guide

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Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Unexpected Guest


When John Starkwedder drives into a ditch in thick fog on a country road, he walks to the nearest house for help - only to find a woman standing over the body of her dead husband with a gun in her hand. It looks like an open and shut murder case, but it soon becomes clear that the dead man's wife may be covering up for someone - and there are a whole host of people in the house with both motive and opportunity to commit the murder. This is a novel by Charles Osbourne based on the original play by Agatha Christie.
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The review of this Book prepared by Stephen Coombs



Chapter Analysis of The Unexpected Guest

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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    -   very upbeat How difficult to spot villain?    -   Somewhat obvious Time/era of story:    -   1930's-1950's What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot?    -   nearly 100% Special suspect?    -   relative Misc. Murder Plotlets    -   butler provides unemotional service    -   local police w/ IQ of a houseplant    -   Proving innocence of very obvious suspect    -   Big focus on forensic evidence    -   Killer purposely leaves clues Kind of investigator    -   british mystery (I say!) 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    -   Male Profession/status:    -   business executive Age:    -   40's-50's Ethnicity/Race    -   British

Setting

Europe    -   Yes European country:    -   England/UK Small town?    -   Yes Small town people:    -   nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee Misc setting    -   fancy mansion

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Unusual forms of death    -   perforation--bullets Unusual form of death?    -   Yes Amount of dialog    -   mostly dialog

Books with storylines, themes & endings like The Unexpected Guest

The Hollow by Agatha Christie
The Case is Closed by Patricia Wentworth
Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart
The Case of the Dangerous Dowager by Erle Stanley Gardner
White Jazz by James Ellroy
Agatha Christie and Charles Osbourne Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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