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| Plot Summary of Winter's End |
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"
St. Martin's Dec 2003, 23.95, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0312310978
Aroostock County, Maine Sheriff Dale Townsend and Deputy Andy Miller are driving south of Winter's End in a storm when a flash of lightning enables them to see a twenty something male out in the rain holding knives. The two law enforcement officials get closer only to see the young man hovering over an obviously dead woman with stab wounds all over her chest. The cops arrest the culprit for murder.
The victim is quickly identified as forty years old nurse Angela Lamond, but the Sheriff has no idea who his incarcerated suspect is. The guy has no record and refuses to even divulge his name. Dale calls his friend former FBI interrogator Alex Rourke to help on what appears is an open and shut case. Now a private investigator, Alex leaves Boston for Maine to see if he can coax answers from the apparent culprit. Though he slowly has some success, Alex concludes that this relatively silent person anticipated his arrival, but why this seems so remains unknown.
WINTER'S END is an incredible police procedural that hooks the reader from the opening grisly scene to the final unexpected twist even with readers expecting a final curve ball, but not one that would make Blyleven proud. The story line never slows down as the Sheriff and the ex-Fed try to break a vicious case that seems so obviously resolved. The cast is strong and believable so that readers will appreciate spending December in WINTER'S END, Maine.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"In this very dark mystery set in Maine, Alex Rourke is asked to come home and help with a murder investigation. Alex is a former FBI agent born and raised in Winter's End, Maine. He hasn't been home once since he left years ago and now has resurrected his life as a private investigator in Boston.
But Sheriff Dale Townsend, brother of his best friend in school, needs his help. Sheriff Townsend has a suspect in the recent murder of a local woman. While the suspect was seen standing over the nude body holding knives in his hands during a heavy rain, there is not any proof that he actually committed the murder. The man won't confess or say anything meaningful at all and the Sheriff is stumped. The Sheriff and Alex worked another case a couple of years ago by phone with Alex suggesting a couple of things and that fact along with the fact that Alex had a reputation as a very good interrogator before his mental breakdown several years ago, convinces him that Alex is the man for the job. They need identification of the suspect and a confession fast as the local population is very upset and the pressure is on to close the case.
Alex agrees to help and soon finds himself back home in Winter's End dealing with a suspect that seems to be playing with him for his own amusement. At the same time, Alex begins to confront why he left in the first place and his actions the last several years. Alex is forced to deal with the past as dark forces move around him, pushing him towards a final confrontation and not just with the suspect.
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Kevin R. Tipple, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Winter's End |
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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 - 35%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 15%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
- Challenging
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 50%
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
- police/lawman
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Small town?
Yes
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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John Rickards Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Kevin R. Tipple
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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