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| Plot Summary of Murder at Monticello |
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"Homer and Mary Kelly, Harvard professors, are on their way to Virginia to attend the 4th of July celebration of the bicentennial of Jefferson's presidential inauguration. It will take place at his historic home/museum Monticello. They will visit Fern Fisher, a former student while they are there. Fern has been awarded a summer grant to write a biography of the former president on site.
Fern has several challenges. First, she has severe writer's block due to her ambivalent feelings about Jefferson being a slave holder. (She has been commisioned to write a favorable book.) Second, she needs to fend off the amorous attention of Augustus Upchurch, elderly president of the Society for Jefferson Studies that awarded her the grant. Third, there have been a series of gruesome murders of young women in Charlottesville. Fern is not aware that the killer is stalking her.
Fern overcomes her writer's block when she develops a friendship with Tom Dean. He is an angry medical school dropout obsessed with the Lewis and Clark expedition. He has illegally pitched a tent on the Monticello grounds so that he can collect the medicinal plants used on the expedition. Fern invites him to the tower room where she is doing her research. They work on a joint Lewis and Clark/Jefferson timeline of events.
The jealous Augustus asks a friend to spy on the two young people. When this friend is killed in Tom's tent, he is blamed for the murder and imprisoned. Fern enlists the help of Homer Kelly to find the real killer and clear Tom. Homer and Mary keep a watchful eye on Fern as well through the story until justice is served."
Susan Coffey, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Murder at Monticello |
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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 - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- wrongly convicted clearing his name
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...
- hunted by killer/stalker
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- scholar
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
City?
Yes
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 5-7
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
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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Click here for more information about this book
Jane Langton Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Susan Coffey
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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