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| Plot Summary of Doctored Evidence |
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"
Atlantic Monthly, Apr 2004, 22.00, 320 pp.
ISBN: 0871139189
In Venice, Italy, everyone who knows elderly Maria Grazia Battestini detests her. The local priest shuns her; her neighbors openly hate her; her family avoids her. Only Dottore Carlotti and her Romanian housekeeper Florinda Ghiorghiu have any consistent contact with the odious octogenarian. It is not surprising that someone murdered her and that the police immediately blame the foreign servant for committing the crime.
The police find Florinda in a second class compartment on a train leaving the country with seven hundred Euro notes in her purse. Panicking, Florinda tries to escape, but instead is killed by an on-coming train. With extremely circumstantial evidence offered by Maria's niece and the fact that Florinda was fleeing the crime scene, the Venice police declare her the killer and the case closed.
Three weeks later, graphic designer Assunta Gismondi returns from business in London to learn that Flori is dead and that she killed her employer. Assunta knows otherwise as she had given Flori the Euros and the train ticket. She reports to police Lieutenant Scarpa who is nasty and skeptical towards her. However, Commissario Guido Brunetti believes her story and follows the leads provided by her in an attempt to find the real killer though his superiors prefer the present solution.
DOCTORED EVIDENCE, the latest Brunetti Italian police procedure (see UNIFORM JUSTICE and DEATH AT LA FENICE), is a terrific investigative novel that showcases how stereotyping can hamper truly solving a case. The story line is cleverly designed so that readers can see why the brass wants the case left “solved” though counter evidence has surfaced. Brunetti is a wonderful lead character whose inquiries into who murdered the shrew make for a fine tale.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Doctored Evidence |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, Foreign
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- minority/women/homosexual issues
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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