A Midsummer Night's Scream
Jill Churchill Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Midsummer Night's Scream

"

Morrow, Nov 2004, 23.95, 240 pp.
ISBN 0060097981

Jane Jeffrey and Shelley Novak have been neighbors and best friends for years and now with their children grown they have time to do any project they want to for fun. Shelley's husband bought a run down theatre thinking he can renovate it and use it for storing food supplies but it wasn't cost effective so he donated it to the community college's theater department. Shelley is in charge of hiring different caterers for the rehearsals, a job she wants because she hopes to find some good companies that would cater Shelley and her husband's business affairs.

The cast detests the nasty uncouth director- playwright Steven Imry. When one of the actors, Denny Roth is murdered everyone wants Imry accused of the crime, but lead detective Mel VanDyne (Jane's long time lover) has no evidence to arrest the man. Mel asks Jane's opinions about the various cast members. When the janitor is attacked, Mel instinctively knows that it is the work of the same person who killed Denny, but remains at a total loss for a viable suspect until he finds a safety deposit key that unlocks all the secrets that are needed to solve the case.

Between helping Shelley audition caterers, watching the play several times, working on her book and taking stitching lessons, the protagonist is a busy person. Mel plays a prominent role as the audiences sees things from his point of view as well as that of Jane. Jill Churchill has written an entertaining police procedural that emphasizes finding the killer as much as it does on the daily activities of Jane and Shelley. Fans of this series will thoroughly enjoy this charming work.

Harriet Klausner

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout.

"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Midsummer Night's Scream

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 - very upbeat
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? - 80%
Murder of certain profession? - actors/producers/directors
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 40's-50'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 - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - artist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
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: - Midwest

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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A Midsummer Night's Scream
Jill Churchill Book Review