| Plot Summary of The Deadly Garden Tour |
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Five Star, Oct 2004, 25.95, 260 pp.
ISBN: 1594141932
After twenty-three years of marriage to Jack, garden designer Liz Clarke divorced him as their plans for the future did not gel; she wanted to settle down spending quality time together while he wanted to see the world. Jack went off sailing while Liz opened up Liz Clarke Garden Designer in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Melissa Castle, Liz's pregnant goddaughter, frantically calls her with the news that Staci Hooper, chairwoman of this year's garden tours has been murdered. Liz rushes to the scene only to learn that the stunned Melissa failed to call 911 or the police. Liz calls, but searches for the housekeeper who she finds frightened. When the evidence points towards Melissa, Liz, ignoring the police and the danger to herself, digs into a dirty scenario in which a host of people hate the odious obnoxious Staci.
THE DEADLY GARDEN TOUR is a fun amateur sleuth tale that starts a bit slow to introduce the heroine, but once she arrives at the crime scene, the tale and Liz go at top speed. The story line contains a fine support cast that either enhances the small-town environs or provides insight into the protagonist or prime suspect. Fans who enjoy a New England cozy will want to read this solid who-done-it.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Deadly Garden Tour |
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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)
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%
Special suspect?
- relative
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- homemaker
Age:
- 20's-30'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
- 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:
- 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
- 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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