"Alexandra Gaither has decided to try and solve the murder of her mother that had been committed twenty-five years earlier. A suspect had been arrested and found not competent to stand trial but Alexandra believed that had been done to protect the actual murderer. She believes the murderer is one of three men who were close to her mother. Angus Minton, one of the most powerful and rich men in town, Junior Minton, his son and Reede Lambert, now the town's sheriff.
Junior, Reede and her mother had been inseperable as teenagers. Both boys had been in love with her mother and she believed that one of the three was responsible for her mother's murder. To her surprise she finds herself attracted to Reede and Junior, although Reede is the one she finds most difficult to resist, just like her mother. Her investigation is thwarted at every turn with Reede offering his help but she is not sure just how much help he is actually being. Even though she doesn't totally trust him she can't fight her attraction to him and they become involved. Reede found his own priorities being threatened since he owes everything to
Angus and Junior but he is falling in love with Alexandra and he can't help but try to assist her. "
Nancy Wallace, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Best Kept Secret
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 Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% 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:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 50%
Special suspect?
- lover
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- solving long-past murder
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:
- a lawyer creature
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
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- jealousy
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Small town?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- actual description of sex
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
