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| Plot Summary of A Matter of Fear |
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"
Five Star, Oct 2002, 24.95, 200 pp.
ISBN: 0786243104
For five years Tom Loberg worked as a writer in the promotion department of pharmaceutical company Packer-Hill Laboratories until a key patent expired and nine hundred employees including Tom received a pink slip. Unemployed for three months, Tom accepts a position as an editorial writer at Mallory & Mallory medical publishing firm. Tom works for nasty Sam Glennie at the vanity-press division of the company.
The insecure and offensive Sam alienates subordinates, as he fears one of them will take his job. However, he loses his position in a more dramatic style as his corpse is found floating in the Pawtoni River. The police lean towards suicide, but Tom thinks otherwise after going through his boss' files and finding implications that murder might have occurred. Unable to resist, especially when his former employer shockingly offers him work, Tom makes inquiries that lead to more people dying to keep a deadly secret silent.
Though very typical of the medical conspiracy novels, A MATTER OF FEAR is an engaging amateur sleuth tale because readers will like the stubborn high morality of the hero. In spite of the plot not being any different than the usual pharmaceutical company hiding the results of the latest miracle drug that cures by killing, the story line engages the audience who root for Tom to uncover the truth. Because of Tom trying to do the right thing, conspiracy buffs will enjoy Seymour Shubin's tale of medical chicanery.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Matter of Fear |
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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 - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
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)
Medical Thriller
Yes
Medical Plotlets:
- wild experiments on people
- unethical drug company
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
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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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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