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Sign of the Book
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Plot Summary of Sign of the Book
"

Scribner, Mar 2005, 25.00, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0743255054

Former Denver police officer Cliff Janeway has known his Twice Told Books bookstore partner, attorney Erin D'Angelo for two years so that he is capable of telling when she has something bothering her. He remains patient until Erin explains she needs Cliff to do her a favor. Laura Marshall is accused of killing her spouse and wants Erin to defend her. However, Erin informs Cliff she will never forgive Laura for stealing her lover who became her husband, but still the ethical side of her needs to know if Laura's confession that she killed Bobby is legal and true.

Cliff would do anything for Erin so he offers some assistance to Laura's lawyer Parley McNamara who is struggling to overcome the confession. In the Western Colorado town, Cliff aggravates the arresting officer, battles with bibliophiles who behave more like mob goons than book lovers, and begins to wonder if one of the three Marshall kids killed their father as Laura never seems to fully cooperate with her defense.

Harriet Klausner"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Sign of the Book
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? - 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 40's-50'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: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - unemployed
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
The US: - West

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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