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| Plot Summary of Morgue Mama, The Cross Kisses Back |
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"
Poisoned Pen, Oct 2003, 24.95, 234 pp.
ISBN 1590580745
Several months ago the popular and famous televangelist Buddy Wing, based Ohio, died on national TV. It was discovered that the seventy-seven year old Pentecostal preacher didn't die from natural causes but was murdered. The killer put Lily of the Valley in his drinking water and repainted the cold cross on his bible that he kissed midway during each vision show with a highly toxic heart drug. Sissy James, a former member of the congregation, confessed to the murder after evidence was found linking her to the homicide.
New crime reporter Aubrey McGinty for the Herald-Union doesn't believe that Sissy killed the preacher. She goes to Dolly Madison Sprawls, affectionately known as Morgue Mama, for background information on the case. Maddy gets so caught up in Aubrey's quest to free Sissy that she becomes the reporter's willing helper, going with her to interview witnesses and looking through the morgue for possible suspects. When both women discover that Sissy had an alibi for the night Billy wing was killed, they have the makings of a Pulitzer Prize winning story on their hands.
This is C.R. Corwin's debut novel and this crime thriller reads like Sara Paretsky or Barbara Parker wrote it because of its brilliantly executed plot. The author has a gift for storytelling and she sets the reader up so that the climax as a complete shock. Told in the first person narrative of the Morgue Mama, readers will find themselves entranced with character and hope she is the star in future books in this series.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Morgue Mama, The Cross Kisses Back |
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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%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- solving long-past murder
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
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
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- journalist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
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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