Jake Hines is a captain and the chief of
Detectives in the Rutherford Police
Department who loves his job only slightly
less than he loves his significant other,
Trudy Hanson. They live in a farmhouse that
needs a lot of work but Jake isn't worried
about such trivial thing since he finally has
what he always wanted since being a foster
child: a place to call home.
A group of grifters consisting of two men,
two women and a child descend upon the
citizens and merchants of Rutherford, conning
them out of their hard-earned money. When two
bodies are found in a home garbage can, the
police believe that the two male drifters are
involved in the crime. Jake and his teams try
to solve a double homicide with very little
evidence and no leads.
This is the fifth Jake Hines police
procedural and it is definitely the best in
the series. The police, a tight knit group,
are truly baffled by the strange turns in the
case and their collective and individual
bewilderment humanizes the force. This allows
the readers to empathize with and appreciate
the hard, often unrewarding work cops do. The
hero is a rarity as an person totally happy
in his personal and professional life.
Elizabeth Ginn continues to deliver an
ingenious mystery.
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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 - 60% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Big focus on autopsies
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
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
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
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
The antagonists are:
- foreign organized crime
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- bulging muscles
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
