"In Ruth Rendell's 'Simisola', Chief Inspector Wexford comes to grips with racial prejudice and rising community unemployment while searching for local girl Melanie Akande, and trying to solve two murders which are seemingly unrelated ..."
J. Hatton, Resident Scholar
"Inspector Wexford comes face to face to one of the most
disturbing crimes in his career. Or is it a crime? A young immigrant housecleaner is missing. Where could she have gone, this young girl who knew no one in her new country...."
nancy calabrez, Resident Scholar
Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!
Review Analysis of Simisola
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).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 45% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 25% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 25%
Tone of story
- depressing/sad
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
- Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 50%
- 60%
Murder of certain profession?
- diplomats
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- "All in the family" murder
- Big focus on forensic evidence
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
- british mystery (I say!)
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:
- government investigator
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- emotionally unstable
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
- quite fatty
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 2
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- rape (yeech!)
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
