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The Sceptred Isle Club
Brent Monahan Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Sceptred Isle Club
"

St. Martin's, Jun 2002, 24.95, 330 pp.
ISBN: 0312288034

Six years ago back in '99, Brunswick, Georgia Sheriff John Le Brun and importer Geoffrey Moore met when the law enforcement official solved the triple murder case of THE JEKYL ISLAND CLUB. The now retired John visits his friend in England. Geoffrey escorts John to the elite SCEPTRED ISLE CLUB where the broker brags to all the members present about his guest's exploits including saving the life of then President McKinley and even more prestigious that of J.P. Morgan.

However, John's vacation turns nasty when someone using a gun murders four card players inside a locked room with no weapon, which seems to indicate murder-suicide. Based on Geoffrey's boasting of John's sleuthing skills, the club Manager William Roundsville hires Le Brun to assist Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Tibbles during the investigation not so much to solve the homicides, but to keep any scandal from going public. Though the inspector does not want another cop working the case, club member Sir Arthur Conan Doyle appreciates the chance to play Watson alongside Le Brun's Holmes.   

Using the locked-door mystery as the background for this Edwardian murder investigation, Brent Monahan provides readers with a strong who-done-it in which the story line pays homage to Holmes though John is clearly his own man. The investigation is fun to watch, as the lead triangle is reminiscent of Mr. Doyle's Holmes' novels. Clearly the Baker Street crowd will cherish THE SCEPTRED ISLE CLUB, but so will early twentieth century historical mystery fans.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Sceptred Isle Club
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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 - 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: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - describing scientific process
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - champion of justice
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 5-7
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to The Sceptred Isle Club
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