| Plot Summary of Cyanide Wells |
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Mysterious, Jul 2003, 24.95, 292 pp.
ISBN: 0892967811
In 1988 Minnesota, Matthew Lindstrom receives the call from a Wyoming sheriff that the car of his estranged wife Gwen has been found in Sweetwater County. Apparently, bloodstains are on the vehicle. No body is found and the case goes cold, but Matthew's neighbors, family, friends, and peers at the college he teaches at believe he killed Gwen rather than accept a divorce. He is treated as a social pariah and eventually he loses his job. His once serene life in Minnesota is over.
Fourteen years later, Matthew lives somewhat like a hermit but is relatively contented in Port Regis, British Columbia, where he owns the charter boat Queen Charlotte. Last night he receives an anonymous phone call that an Ardis Coleman, living in Cyanide Wells, California, is Gwen. Still needing closure by obtaining answers to why she left, especially since the caller insisted she knew what she did to him. Motivated by revenge, Matthew decides to travel south to confront her. Instead of the confrontation, Matt finds his ex vanishes again leaving blood in the home she resided in with her lesbian lover newspaper editor Carly McGuire. She has taken her daughter with her. Matt and Carly join forces seeking the missing Gwen-Ardis.
CYANIDE WELLS is an exciting character driven mystery that the fans of Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone tales will enjoy. The story line is loaded with action though things seem to come too easily to Matt, who along with Carly seem real as they struggle with the duplicity of the woman they loved. However, what hooks the audience is trying to understand Gwen-Ardis, which means reading the novel in one delightful sitting.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Cyanide Wells |
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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)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- vigilante getting revenge
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
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
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
The Americas (not US):
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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