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The Yellow Room
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Plot Summary of The Yellow Room
"When Carol Spencer, an attractive young woman from a wealthy family, goes to the family's summer home to open it for her brother Greg while he's on leave from the military, one of her servants finds the body of a young woman in the linen closet, and the body had been burned in there. The woman's clothes and other belongings are missing, showing that whoever killed the woman wanted to hide the woman's identity.

Carol is frightened and baffled, but then a man who is house-sitting in one of the nearby summer homes comes over to offer his assistance to Carol, and also to do his own investigating independent of the local police. Carol appreciates his help, because she is stressed and frightened, even though she doesn't know that much about him. He says he was in the military and is only out until his wounded leg heals, but a neighbor tells Carol that there is no record of this man in the military.

When a neighbor tells Carol that she saw Carol's sister Elinor's car leave the house the night that the murder likely took place, Carol wonders whether her sister is responsible for the murder. Then evidence links the murdered woman to Carol's brother Greg, and Carol suspects Greg. However, after Elinor comes to stay at the house and is shot late at night, Carol is confused. Greg and Elinor have always looked out for each other, and Greg would never shoot Elinor. Carol doesn't know who to trust or who to suspect, especially since some of the neighbors are also acting strangely.
"

Crystal, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Yellow Room
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - 1930's-1950's
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - wealthy
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - police/lawman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
Motive of antagonist - power
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - quite fatty

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Small town? Yes

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 3-4
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Yellow Room
The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi
Clandestine by James Ellroy
White Jazz by James Ellroy
The Case of the Dangerous Dowager by Erle Stanley Gardner
Hunter's Dance by Kathleen Hills


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Mary Roberts Rinehart Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Crystal  

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