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| Plot Summary of A Grave Denied |
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"A Grave Denied
St. Martin's, Sept 2003, 24.95, 304 pp.
ISBN 0312306814
As he lay dying in his lover's arms, Jack Morgan made Kate Shugak promise to look after his son Johnny and to protect him from his mother. Since he wants to homestead with her in Alaska's National Park, Kate takes Johnny into her home and the residents of the park conspire with her to keep him hidden from his mother and outside authorities. Unfortunately nobody can protect Johnny or his classmates from seeing the body of a murdered man.
The homicide victim is Len Dreyer, who supported himself by doing construction and handyman jobs for the local residents. State Trooper Jim Chopin is in the middle of a crime wave so he asks Kate to learn if the victim had any enemies. She finds nobody really knew the man who left no paper trail for her to follow but her questions lead someone to burning down her log cabin, thinking she is in it. This case becomes very personal for Kate and she is determined to track down the killer or die trying.
This is one of the most successful, dynamic and refreshing mystery series of the last decade. The characters evolve, change and grow so that they remain unpredictable. A GRAVE DENIED is an exciting who-done-it because nobody will guess who the killer is until the author chooses to reveal his identity in a shocking climax. It is heartwarming to see the homesteaders rally around Kate in her time of troubles and says much about the goodness in most people's heart. This novel is must reading for anyone who likes an emotional, heart wrenching and dramatic relationship drama wrapped around a mystery.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Grave Denied |
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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
- hard boiled/private eye
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
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
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:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
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
The US:
- Alaska
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
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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