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The Secret of Chimneys
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Plot Summary of The Secret of Chimneys
"Anthony Cade (or GENTLEMAN JOE) is not a man who stays too much in a place or on a job. So when his friend asks him deliver the memories of a former prime-minister of a small country he accepts. However things don't go that smoothly. First in visited by a polite baron, a violent member of a known criminal organisation and then is attracted by his Italian waiter. And of course all they want is the manuscript.
His second mission is to give a young lady some compromising letters, but when he arrives at her house, she asks him to help her dispose of a body (of the Italian waiter). The only thing that the man had was a piece of paper with "11.45 Chimneys" written. When he arrives at the Chimneys house at that time a pistol is heard and Anthony finds himself suspected of murdering a prince. Superintendent Battle doesn't suspect him because he can't find a motive (but Anthony did have a motive).
Thing are getting more complicated once a French detective arrives and seriously suspects him. All Anthony can do is find the real murderer (but King Victor might be anyone of the guests in the Chimneys)
"

Claudia, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Secret of Chimneys
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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 - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%




Tone of story - very humorous
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - 1930's-1950's
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 40%
Special suspect? - investigator him/herself
Murder of certain profession? - criminals
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator - amateur citizen investigator
Any non-mystery subplot? - searching for $$$/treasure
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
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
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Africa Yes

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to The Secret of Chimneys
The Westing Game by Elen Raskin
Death in Zanzibar by M.M. Kaye
The Barbarous Coast by Ross MacDonald
The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie
A Deadly Shade of Gold by John D. MacDonald


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Agatha Christie Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
sivert_emil  

SCHOLARS:
Danielle  Christina Olson  Claudia  Steph  Daniel Staebler  Yosef Shapiro  FIRAT ILICALI  Liz  Ilana Beller  


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