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| Plot Summary of Death of an Expert Witness |
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"Enter Chief Inspector Adam Dalgleish of Scotland Yard. Dr. Lorrimer is an intensely
disliked expert scientist, who doesn't seem to be short on people wishing him dead! And
dead he is in P.D. James' “Death of an Expert Witness.” James is at her best here. It takes
the brilliance of Dalgleish to flush out the real murderer--after all, there's no short list of
suspects. James in good at exploring human behavior (she's called the “queen of crime ”!)
and with the chief inspector she presents a work that is intriguing, compelling, and fun to
read.
"
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
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"Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his associate Detective Investigator the Honourable John Massingham come to the Hoggatt's Labratory to investigate the murder of Dr. Lorrimer, who was found dead one morning in the lab he works in, with his skull smashed in.
The suspects of this murder are all limited to the lab, but they are all intelligent beings. So who is lying? For what purpose? We follow Commander Dalgliesh through a perceptive process composed of complex motives, logic, forensic science evidence, and insightful observation of human behavior."
Deirdra Dan, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Death of an Expert Witness |
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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
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Murder of certain profession?
- doctors/patients
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Big focus on autopsies
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, British
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings of fear/loss/inadequacy
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- doctor
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- jealousy
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Misc setting
- scientific labs
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
- 2
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
A lot of techno jargon?
Yes
Kind of jargon?
- biology/medical
Unusual forms of death
- hanging
- crushed
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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