| Plot Summary of Hazardous Duty |
|---|
"Gabby St. Claire has always wanted to solve crimes; particularly, to be a forensic criminologist. She went to college to earn a degree in forensic science, but unexpected family problems had forced her to drop out when she was only one semester away from achieving her goal. Unwilling to give up on her dream, Gabby starts her own business – a crime scene cleaning service called Trauma Care. After crime scene investigators are done with their work, Gabby is the one to clean up the mess.
One day, Gabby and her assistant Harold are called to work in the house of a prominent politician running for Senate whose wife has been shot in the head. Gabby sets to work picking up fragments of shattered skull, which she does not mind at all; in fact, she is simultaneously trying to compose a jingle to promote Trauma Care. The work takes most of the day, and when Harold leaves for the night Gabby stays to finish things up. Then she finds a gun – the murder weapon overlooked by crime scene investigators. Intrigued, Gabby starts searching for more clues, and becomes convinced that the guy arrested for the murder is not the one who did it. In fact, some evidence points at the politician himself.
Gabby is still doing her not-so-amateur investigation (forensic science classes she's had come in very handy) when the house is set on fire. Gabby runs for her life. On the next day she finds out that the arsonist is caught and charged with her attempted murder. It is Harold, her assistant. Gabby knows that Harold is innocent; she confronts the police and shares her discoveries and suspicions, but detective Chip Parker is not convinced and not interested.
Determined to find the real murderer and get Harold out of jail, Gabby launches her own investigation. When a bomb turns up on her porch, Gabby knows she is on the right track. The real killer is getting nervous and wants Gabby dead. Unexpected help comes from a new neighbor, a handsome attorney Riley Thomas. He believes in Gabby's theories and is willing to assist her investigation. Together, they find more evidence. The work brings them closer together, and Riley's charms are hard to resist… But is he who he says he is?
"
Laura Southcombe, Resident Scholar
|
|
| Review Analysis of Hazardous Duty |
|---|
|
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).
|
|
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 - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Big focus on forensic evidence
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Age:
- 20's-30's
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- criminal
Motive of antagonist
- power
Setting
United States
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
|
|
