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| Plot Summary of The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper |
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"Private Investigator Travis McGee is back in one of several novels by John D. MacDonald, that contain a color in the title. The girl referred to is Maureen Pearson, a woman who keeps trying to commit suicide. He met the girl's mother years ago and upon her deathbed, she asks McGee to check in on her daughter now in her 30s and try to find out why she wants to kill herself. He visits Maureen and her husband and her young sister in a small coastal Florida town. At first there seems to be nothing he can do--Maureen is quiet, forgetful, impulsive, and distant. She can't remember where she is from one day to the next. Then, while staying at a local hotel, an acquaintance comes up dead. The girl was seen talking to McGee because he caught her and her partner in his hotel room. It seems she was killed to keep her from revealing important information. About what? Is there something more behind Maureen's suicide attempts than just depression over her miscarriage? Or did the dead girl know something that proved another unrelated suicide was actually a murder? McGee finds that he has unravel both threads in order to keep himself out of the hands of the law, while trying to respect the last wishes of his old friend."
BethG, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper |
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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 - 50%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
Time/era of story:
- 1960's-1970's
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- local police w/ IQ of a houseplant
- "All in the family" murder
- solving long-past murder
Kind of investigator
- hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- Swiss
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
Ice Caps/Sea?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- dropped from large heights
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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