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| Plot Summary of Number Please |
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Oak Tree Press, July 2002, 9.95, 280 pp.
ISBN 1892343258
In 1965 Santa Cruz, California during the worst storm of the season, Trish Malcolm, a less than three-week management hire by Ma Bell, is forced to work the switchboard, devices she knows nothing about. Inadvertently, she accidentally overhears a part of a pay phone conversation placed by someone named Jay Jay. The next night a telephone operator is run down in the parking lot and Trish believes it was no accident but a killer gunning for her.
She locates the street where the phone call was placed and sees only one building in the vicinity. There's a sign in the window saying there's a room for rent and Trish decides to take it thinking she can find the killer. During the course of her investigation, somebody shoots at her, kills a tenant living in the building and set fire to the place. Only when she comes out in the open and enlists the help of her co-workers does she have a chance of exposing the killer.
Sheree Petree has written a very clever amateur sleuth novel that captures the ambiance of the 1960's America. The heroine is an admirable and determined young woman who acts according to her own convictions, not caring if everyone thinks she's a fool though taking matters in her own hand as opposed the police seems today as foolish, but remember the time and generation involved. The mystery is so well constructed that readers won't guess who the killer is until the author chooses to reveal him.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Number Please |
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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 - 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?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Special suspect?
- best friend
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
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
- Female
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age:
- 20's-30'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
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- scientist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
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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