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A Suitable Vengeance
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Plot Summary of A Suitable Vengeance
"The fourth Lynley-St. James mystery is actually a prequel to the first three. It takes the principals back roughly a decade and explores their histories -- with each other as well as in general -- along with investigating a murder (which becomes three deaths) on the Cornish south coast of England. A journalist is found clubbed and castrated; was he the victim of a jealous husband or working on a big news story that would embarrass someone? Also, Thomas Lynley's little brother Peter and Simon St. James's sister Sidney are either addicted to drugs or involved with someone who is, and their addictions appear to be connected with the crime, shaking the foundation of Lynley (Lord Asherton)'s family and unearthing old secrets and wounds. Although the plot has George's typical complexity (one plus is that St. James and Lady Helen are responsible for big breaks in the case), it does not have quite the polish of its predecessors -- dialogue is especially weak at times -- and it wouldn't surprise me if it had in fact been written before the others."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Suitable Vengeance
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Kind of investigator - british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - Get treasure/money from another criminal
Crime Thriller Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - government investigator
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Water? Yes
Water: - sail boat
Misc setting - scientific labs - fancy mansion

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 3-4
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Unusual forms of death - poisoning - dropped from large heights - blunt clubbing (like seals)
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to A Suitable Vengeance
A Ghost in the Machine by Caroline Graham
The Mistress of Alderly by Robert Barnard
Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate by M.C. Beaton
Amendment of Life by Catherine Ard
The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes


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