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| Plot Summary of Mrs. Malory and the Silent Killer |
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"
Signet, March 2004, 5.99, 256 pp.
ISBN 0451211650
The small English village of Taviscombe is usually a peaceful place where everyone knows their neighbors. One of the residents Sidney Middleton is liked and respected by everyone who knows him; they also feel sorry for him because his son David is trying to push him into a nursing home. The whole village mourns when Sidney passes away and is shocked to discover the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. Someone deliberately murdered him by tampering with the chimney.
Stella learns at Sidney's funeral that he wasn't the good hearted, generous person everyone thought he was. Instead he pretended to be a nice soul. Brian Thorpe tells Mrs. Mallory he's glad that Sidney is dead as the paragon cheated on his wife with Brian's mother but then cruelly dumped her. His mother had a nervous breakdown from which she never recovered. Another resident learns that Sidney was responsible for the death of his brother in WWII. Stella begins to hear other ugly stories about the man everyone respected and for once, she does not investigate, half-hoping that someone does get away with murder.
MRS. MALORY AND THE SILENT KILLER is the quintessential English village cozy mystery. Readers are entertained by the who-done-it because there are many suspects all of whom were hurt by Sidney and had a motive for killing him. It is impossible to figure out who the actual killer is until Hazel Holt unmasks the perpetrator. The heroine is very likeable and believable, the sort of person one wants as their granny.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Mrs. Malory and the Silent Killer |
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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)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in small town
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- homemaker
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
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
- average physique
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?
- 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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