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| Plot Summary of The Death Artist |
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"
Morrow, Sep 2002, 24.95, 352 pp.
ISBN: 006000441X
The first victim was found dead in his bathtub with an arm hanging over the side as if the individual posed for David when he painted his famous portrait Marat. The second corpse could have modeled for a Picasso masterpiece. The art world is horrified and obviously frightened while law enforcement wonders if a new serial killer, THE DEATH ARTIST, has surfaced.
Kate McKinnon Rothstein feels at home with the merging of homicide and art as a former NYPD detective turned art historian though investigating a serial killer is not what she expected to do after a decade away from the force. However, the culprit seems ironically appreciative of her PBS show that leads Kate to try to stop the deranged genius from further imitating art with deadly accuracy.
Just looking at the above two paragraphs, readers will think that THE DEATH ARTIST is a by the numbers serial killer, but that would be an inaccurate portrayal of the novel. Though a serial killer tale, the story line contains much deeper insight than usual especially into the mind of the murderer and into the political side of the fine arts. It is no stretch to believe that Kate can combine her two professional experiences in an attempt to track down the homicidal artist, but what turns Jonathan Santlofer's debut novel into a near masterpiece is the secondary flavoring of an insider look at the modern world of art.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Death Artist |
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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?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in that culture
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- scholar
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
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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