| Plot Summary of Mary, Mary |
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"A Disneyland family vacation is interrupted when Alex Cross,working for the FBI, is called into a California murder case done by a woman named Mary Smith. All of her victims are women and mothers; and, as well as disfiguring her victims, the killer also leaves puzzling clues at the murder scenes.The "A-List" people of Hollywood are her targets, and all the "golden" people are terrified wondering who's next. Also, she has been relaying details of her gruesome murders via email to a columnist at the LA Times.
In the midst of this horror, Alex is hit with problems in his personal life and a custody battle over his youngest son. He is also stalked by a reporter who doggedly trails him and his family. Alex becomes suspicious of the reporter whose presence is evident throughout the investigation.
When the description of a vehicle leaving a murder scene is released to the press, the city panics. Mary Smith further baffles police when she kills two MEN and sends an email with details of a murder BEFORE it happens. Finally, an arrest is made, but Alex is not convinced the police have the true killer. In New England, he digs into a 20 year-old murder and has to fight for his own life when "Mary Smith" puts him on her death list."
Marianna, Resident Scholar
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"Alex Cross, an FBI agent, is on vacation with his family in Disneyland. His new love interest meets them there as well. So he is not too happy to be called back to work. But when he hears what has happened - a famous actress has been shot dead outside her home in Beverley Hills - he hurries back. Adding mystery to the tragedy is the fact that the killer seems to be a woman. Shortly after the murder, a Los Angelos Times editor receives an email describing the murder, and signed, Mary Smith. More killings are threatened, and sure enough, they happen, with similar emails sent to the same editor.
Meanwhile, we read about a woman called Mary Smith, a harried working mother. Her story sounds similar to many families; she gets angry at her children sometimes, but loves them and is trying her best to give them what they need.
The killings continue, and the clues certainly lead to a woman called Mary Smith. But Alex Cross suspects there is more to the story. Now two men are killed - the killer has broken the pattern of murdering successful young women with children.
A cold case of 20 years before and some brilliant detective work by Cross leads him to the real killer."
Tena van''t Foort, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Mary, Mary |
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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 - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 45%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Challenging
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 80%
- 90%
Murder of certain profession?
- actors/producers/directors
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- killer purposefully leaves puzzle clues
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
- hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is....
- stalking/killing innocents
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- Black
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- writer
Eccentric:
Yes
- mentally ill
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
- jealousy
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
- Mid-Atlantic states
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
- very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths?
- 3-4
- 8 or more
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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