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| Plot Summary of Amendment of Life |
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"
St. Martin's, Jan 2003, 22.95, 240 pp.
ISBN: 0312290802
The elderly owner of Aumerle Court wheelchair bound Daphne Pedlinge sees the corpse in the center of the estate's Tudor maze from her observation perch in the long gallery section of the manor house. Her staff calls the police and County of Calleshire Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan arrives to investigate. He notices that the estate steward Captain Jeremy Prosser reacts quite peculiar upon seeing the dead person through binoculars as if he knows something about the victim. With Daphne's direction, C.D. reaches the female corpse laid out like a sacrifice at the foot of the statue of the Minotaur.
While C.D. questions the staff at Aumerle Court, David Collins reports his wife is missing. The police quickly realize that she is the victim found dead in the maze. However, C.D. cannot determine any motive or opportunity for someone to kill the mother of a hospitalized child that expected her to be with him.
Fans of a British police procedural will want to read the cleverly drawn AMENDMENT OF LIFE. The tale uses as a backdrop an intriguing look at the changes to the aristocracy in recent years. Though the secondary cast is an interesting group that strengthens the fascinating story line, this novel belongs to the” seedy” lead investigator. Catherine Ard writes a pleasurable tale that the audience will enjoy even as identifying the killer is as difficult to achieve as completing the maze that contained the deceased.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Amendment of Life |
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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?
- 80%
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in small town
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
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
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- 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 moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
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?
- 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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