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| Plot Summary of Staying Power |
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"
St. Martin's, June 2004, 23.95, 304 pp.
ISBN 0312131194x
After the death of her lover and partner, Detective Sargent Kate Powers transfers from London to the Birmingham police force, but also takes a much needed vacation in Florence. On the flight back she sits next to bubbly Alan Grafton. He is exhilarated because his trip was a success buying leather goods and clothing to sell to distributors. Not long after landing, Kate investigates a suicide in a very public place.
Kate is shocked to see that the dead man is Alan who was so excited over the money he expected to make on the goods. She is granted permission to find out if this was a murder made to look like a self-termination. She discovers that Alan was bankrupt thanks to a powerful business leader who used fraudulent means to achieve a line of credit for shell companies. To bring this man to justice, she has to have hard evidence because if he walks, his wife and son will be his next victims.
This British police procedural is slow moving, which lets the readers to know the characters on an intimate basis. A secondary sub-plot involving sexism and racism in the police department and how it is handled makes STAYING POWER a cut above the average police procedural. The heroine is depressed after the loss of her lover and lonely because she hasn't made many friends in her new location but when it comes to fighting crime, she doesn't let her personal feelings get in the way. Fans of Patrice Hall and Ian Parker will want to read this tantalizing novel.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Staying Power |
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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%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- white collar fraud or theft
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- evil corporation/rich guy
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
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
- 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?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
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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