Jack In the Pulpit
Cynthia Riggs Book Review

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Plot Summary of Jack In the Pulpit

"

Dunne, June 2004, 22.95, 208 pp.
ISBN 0312330111

Ninety two years old Victoria Trumbull is as spry as a person half her age and her mental faculties are probably sounder than most of those in their fourties. Her granddaughter Elizabeth is living with her after escaping her abusive husband Lockwood who unknown to them is on Martha's Vineyard. He watches his ex-wife and is waiting for the right time to “talk” to her. When the women find out he is there they take precautions and friends and neighbors save Elizabeth from what would have been a dangerous confrontation.

While Victoria is dealing with her granddaughter's problem, four people have died on the island within the last month. Victoria finds this very disturbing and when she checks the town's records she finds the death rate is way above the norm. She begins to wonder if there is a serial killer on the island but the chief of police, who Victoria regards as a friend, won't exhume the bodies without solid evidence. Victoria goes to unusual lengths to prove her theory but makes more than the cops take notice of her efforts.

Anyone who wants to know how a nonagenarian can become a deputy must read JACK IN THE PULPIT to learn how the heroine's crime sleuthing career began. The who-done-it is well executed with plenty of suspects including the old minister of the local church, his successor, and their wives amongst others. The support cast adds color and vibrancy to the storyline. The only quibble is that the two subplots, the abusive ex-spouse and the four deaths don't intersect at any point and each could have been the focus of a separate book.

Harriet Klausner

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout.

"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Jack In the Pulpit

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).

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%

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, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - stalking/killing innocents
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in small town
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - homemaker
Age: - 60's-90's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - revenge
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

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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Harriet Klausner

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Jack In the Pulpit Cynthia Riggs Book Review

Jack In the Pulpit
Cynthia Riggs Book Review