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Fatal Truth
Robin Burcell Book Review

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Plot Summary of Fatal Truth
"

Avon, August 2002, 6.50, 288 pp.
ISBN 0061061239

Kate Gillespie is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco police department. Her brother worked in the same department, but a dozen years ago while an Internal Affairs investigation was going on into his activities when he died of an overdose. Now Kate works very hard to make up for her brother's mistakes. When a snitch calls her to set up a meeting, she goes to the meeting point only to find her mark gunned down in cold blood by another police officer.

She calls the one officer she trusts police officer Mike Torrance. They meet at a local cop bar when they find out that the officer who killed Kate's snitch is now dead, the victim of a hit and run. Kate is assigned to investigate the officer's death and it doesn't take her long to learn there are other officers that are dirty and this case ties back to her brother's suicide.

Fans of police procedurals and crime thrillers will definitely enjoy reading FATAL DEATH. The heroine is a person who obeys the rules except when the lives of her family are at stake, a situation that immediately endears her to the audience. Robin Burcell, a police officer herself, shows the gritty work involved in policing a big city.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Fatal Truth
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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 - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
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: - near future
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Special suspect? - best friend
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets: - vigilante getting revenge
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - breaking up mobsters
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by killer/stalker

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - police
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Fatal Truth
Flash Point by Nancy Baker Jacobs
Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb
Seduction In Death by J.D. Robb
Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb
Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb


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