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Death In Dark Waters
Patricia Hall Book Review

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Plot Summary of Death In Dark Waters
"

St. Martin's, Feb 2004, 23.95, 288 pp.
ISBN 0312321554

After a night spent in the Carib Club on Chapel Street in Bradford in Yorkshire County England, Jeremy Adams is hit by a car while dancing in the street. Tests show that he was high on the drug Ecstasy and his father a very wealthy and powerful business man wants the dealer behind bars and the club closed down. Detective Michael Thackeray is assigned the case but he thinks the angry father's influence power could be better spent in the housing development Wuthering Heights.

The Heights is a low income housing project that is crime ridden and drug infested. Thackeray's girlfriend Laura Ackroyd happens to agree with her lover's opinion and is trying to do an investigative piece but the tenants are too afraid of the drug dealers to talk. The council thinks the best way to take care of the problem is to tear down the Heights and build homes for a better clientele. When a recovering addict is murdered and someone is doing their best to get the Carib Club closed using any means possible, Laura and Thackeray find that their separate investigations have a common link.

DEATH IN DARK WATERS has a much more gothic atmosphere and tone than any of Patricia Hall's other books. It is very fascinating watching the reporter and the police officer run separate investigations simultaneously while trying to work on their relationship. The high quality of writing and the excellent characterizations make this crime thriller a novel that must be read by anyone who likes an outstanding who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Death In Dark Waters
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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? - 60%
Kind of investigator - police procedural, British
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - minority/women/homosexual issues
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? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - British
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
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
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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