| Plot Summary of Cruel and Unusual |
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"Once again Dr Kay earns the respect and admiration of all concerned by saving the day, despite not actually figuring anything out herself or doing much besides performing an autopsy and, of course, cooking gourmet meals (for which she never shops) in her perfect house (which she never does anything to maintain). The basic premise (that a well-respected public figure would arrange for the release of a violent criminal to retrieve a briefcase for him) is so preposterous that genuine relief mingles with disgust as the final page is turned."
Andrew Clitheroe, Resident Scholar
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"Convicted murderer Ronnie Waddell is put to death, and it is up to Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta to perform his autopsy when the body is still warm. During a seemingly unrelated murder investigation, a young boy is found murdered, propped up much like one of Waddell's early victims. And when one of Waddell's prints shows up near the body, Scarpetta must unconver how a dead inmate could have possibly committed another murder AFTER his death..."
LaPierre, Resident Scholar
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"Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta, must autopsy a convicted murderer after the execution. Afterwards, a murder occured with the executed inmate's signature all over it. More murdered victims were discovered, yet all were mysteriously connected to the dead man. When one of Kay's own assistants is added to the dead man's killing spree, fear pushes the investigation even harder. Knowing a dead man cannot be responsible for this, Kay and crime fighting team, FBI Agent Benton Wesley, and Detective Pete Marino, work overtime to solve these puzzling murders and bring this killer to justice. As time races on, however, the murders become more intense. Time is of the essence."
Tracey Ray, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Cruel and Unusual |
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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 - 13.3%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 26.7%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Special suspect?
- chronically deranged person
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- local police w/ IQ of a houseplant
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Big focus on autopsies
- Killer purposely leaves clues
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- food/cooking
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- doctor
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- kicks
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Mid-Atlantic states
Misc setting
- scientific labs
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths?
- 3-4
A lot of techno jargon?
Yes
Kind of jargon?
- biology/medical
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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