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| Plot Summary of The Shifting Tide |
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Ballantine, April 2004, 25.95, 352 pp.
ISBN 0345440099
It is 1863 in Victorian London and times are lean for private enquiry agent William Monk and his wife Hester who receives no money for working at the clinic in Portpool Lane that provides medical care to sick and injured prostitutes. Louvain, a powerful business man who makes a profit in shipping, hires Monk to recovery a shipment of ivory that was stolen off his shop while it was waiting to dock. One of the crew still on board was murdered and Monk intends to find out who the killer is and bring him to justice even though he won't get any additional fees for it.
The ivory must be found within a certain period of time or Louvain won't be unable to pay off a creditor who is also his rival. If that happens he won't be able to bid on a fast clipper ship that he wants to add to his fleet. While Monk makes contacts along the river to find out who received the ivory, Hester is battling a different kind of killer, one that hasn't been seen in Europe since the middle ages.
Anne Perry can always be counted on to write an exciting historical police procedural and THE SHIFTING TIDE is obvious proof of this assertion. Hester and Monk battle with more than a serial killer and that brings the focus of the tale as much on the nurse fighting a deadly disease as the hero trying to get an innocent man off death row. There is plenty of action in Ms Perry's latest thriller but it is the two special people who risk their lives for humanity that readers will care about.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Shifting Tide |
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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 - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Medical Thriller
Yes
Medical Plotlets:
- cure/disease
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in that culture
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- search for valuable art/artifacts
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- stolen goods organization
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than 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
- power
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?
- 8 or more
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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