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| Plot Summary of Die Laughing |
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"
St. Martin's, Sept 2003, 23.95, 286 pp.
ISBN 0312309139
It has been four months since the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher has stumbled over a dead body and everyone from the superintendent of Scotland Yard to her husband Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher is thrilled. Dead bodies are the furthest thing from Daisy's mind when she visits her next door neighbor Raymond Talmadge to get her sore tooth fixed. When she arrives at his office nobody is there but within minutes his nurse and his wife arrive on the scene.
They let Daisy into his office where they find Mr. Talmadge dead in the chair with nitrous oxide attached to his face. The wife thinks he committed suicide while the nurse believes it was an accident because he used it for recreational purposes, but Daisy sees evidence that leads her to wonder whether the dentist was murdered. The police agree with her assessment and find they have multiple suspects who had reason to want the dentist dead. Of course with Daisy helping the police in her own indubitable fashion, it is only a matter of time before the killer is caught.
DIE LAUGHING takes place in London in 1924 and readers get a real feel for the era because of the small historical tidbits cleverly woven into the story line. The heroine is so likable and earnest that she is totally believable even in an odd role for 1920s females; the police actually listen to her theories. Fans of Kate Kingsbury and Robin Paige will want to read this charming amateur sleuth tale.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Die Laughing |
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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 - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
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?
- 70%
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:
- journalist
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- servant
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- jealousy
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
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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