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Dead Certain
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Plot Summary of Dead Certain
"

Ballantine, Jul 204, 6.99
ISBN: 0345463935

Archer Lowell, Curtis Alan Channing, and Vince Giordano share a jail holding cell waiting for the law to process them when someone escapes custody. To pass time while the complex is totally shut down, the trio discusses why they are here when the conversation turns to who would they like to kill. They agree that to be successful they would have to exchange victims like the Hitchcock and DeVito movies did.

Amanda Crosby is angry with her business partner Derek England because he purchased an illegal stolen Iranian goblet that they will have to return. Amanda leaves a voice message on Derek's server that she will kill him. Derek agrees to meet Amanda, but he never arrives at her home.

The next day Broeder, Delaware Police Chief Sean Mercer informs Amanda that Derek was murdered, she is a suspect because of the voice message and that the victim apparently knew the killer. However, Sean becomes concerned that someone is stalking Amanda and is made to look like imprisoned Archer Lowell is dong it. When her neighbor is killed, Sean is DEAD CERTAIN that that someone with insider information on the Lowell stalking is plotting Amanda's destruction.

Harriet Klausner

"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Dead Certain
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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)
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? - 70%
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - criminal
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 - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes

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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