| Plot Summary of Death of a Domestic Diva |
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"Josie, a laundromat owner and stain expert in small-town Paradise, Ohio, tries to get some much needed publicity for her town by inviting herself on the Tyra Grimes Home Show. (Paradise, with a flagging small-town economy, has just received a bitter blow: being dropped off the State of Ohio map.)
Everyone laughs at Josie's scheme... until Tyra herself comes to Paradise. Tyra turns the town upside down--reporters descend upon the town when the famous style-diva Tyra sets up a press conference to make a major announcement, giving only vague hints about why she must make this announcement from Paradise.
But before the press conference can take place, Lewis, the owner of the local funeral home, is found murdered in a nearby forest... with Tyra knocked unconcious near his body. Elroy, another local business owner--and one of Josie's friends--is also found near the crime scene, wielding a gun he can't remember acquiring because he's so disoriented from eating wild mushrooms that have him exclaiming about large, white rabbits. The local police chief, John Worthy, is only too happy to pin the murder on Elroy (especially since Elroy and Lewis have a long-standing rivalry), but Josie can't believe the gentle Elroy would really murder anyone. What's more, Tyra's appearance in Paradise, and her upcoming announcement, seem to have something to do with Stillwater Farms, a nearby residential home for adults with autism, where Josie's beloved cousin Guy lives.
Josie investigates to find out the truth behind Lewis's murder as well as Tyra's appearance in Paradise, assisted by her new boyfriend, Owen, and her good friend, Winnie (who is also the librarian on the county bookmobile.) Her investigation is troubled by a tornado, an attack with a lime-jello mold by Lewis's widow, two nutty tabloid reporters... but Josie perseveres and, in spite of having to hijack the book mobile in order to chase down some bad guys, discovers the identity of the true killer and brings the killer to justice. "
Sharon Short, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Death of a Domestic Diva |
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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 - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- very humorous
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 80%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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