| Plot Summary of Stone Kiss |
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Warner, Aug 2002, 25.95, 390 pp.
ISBN: 0446530387
New York Conservative Rabbi Jonathan Levine calls his half-brother Los Angeles Police Lieutenant Peter Decker for help. Jon explains that someone executed his Orthodox brother-in-law Ephraim Leiber in a run down New York hotel room. However, the reason Jon wants Peter to come to the Big Apple is to find his teenage niece Shaynda a probable witness to the murder whom has vanished.
Though not eager to cross into someone else's jurisdiction, Peter comes to New York. Neither NYPD, nor Shaynda's parents, nor the townsfolk where the Leibers live welcome Peter on the scene. Still Peter makes in roads and finds Shaynda in the Manhattan apartment of a Mob-connected criminal. However, Peter's inquiries are not finished as Shaynda's story is just beginning and that tale will not end happily.
Peter's normal co-star in this wonderful series, his wife Rina Lazarus, hardly appears in STONE KISS. However, though Rina makes only a cameo appearance, the novel remains an exciting entry as one of the better ones in several years. The investigation is handled quite smoothly especially when Peter is struggling to overcome the objections of NYPD, a small town police chief, and an Orthodox congregation that borders on the Hasidic. Though similar in plot to previous books as family troubles start the latest tzuros for Rina and Peter, series fans will enjoy this look at the East Coast side of the extended brood.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Stone Kiss |
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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 - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
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%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Big focus on autopsies
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Religious overtones?
Yes
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in that culture
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50'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
- 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:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
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?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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