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That Summer
Joan Wolf Book Review

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Plot Summary of That Summer
"

Warner, Sep 2003, 5.99, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0446610445

Maryland veterinarian Anne Foster returns home for the funeral of her beloved father in Midville, Virginia. Everybody who knew Pete loved Pete, which just adds to Anne's warm feelings about her dad. She worries how her mother will adapt to the loss of her long time mate so Anne is on a leave of absence for one month to help with the adjustment.

When Anne sees Liam Wellington of Wellington Farms horse racing family, she realizes that she still loves him, but he still considers her his “little Sister”. Anne reflects back one decade to the incident that ended everyone's youth: the vanishing and probable murder of Leslie Bartholomew whose body was never found. She wonders who killed the girl. Was it her beloved, his cousin, or their friend? Liam soon realizes that he loves Anne too, not as his sister, but as someone he wants as his wife even while the truth slowly surfaces that point towards him as the culprit who murdered Leslie.

Though the who-done-it takes a back seat for much of the novel, readers will appreciate this warm contemporary romantic suspense due to an engaging cast. Anne is a delightful lead female protagonist who struggles with conflicting feelings about her beloved, as she wants to believe he could not have committed homicide, yet the evidence makes him the likely suspect. The rest of the secondary characters augment Anne's question of who is the killer, but like the heroine they will have to wait until Joan Wolf reveals the killer's identity.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of That Summer
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - Present (2000-2010)
Inner struggle subplot Yes
Struggle with... - angst over past dead relative(s)
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive Yes
Is really... - a criminal (possibly)

Main Male Character
Profession/status: - business executive
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
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 Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - doctor/medical
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
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

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related? - 70%
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to That Summer
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