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| Plot Summary of Death Of A Stranger |
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Ballantine, Oct 2002, 25.95, 352 pp.
ISBN 0345440056
William Monk considers himself very lucky that Hester loves him as much as he loves her. Their marriage is a good one despite the fact that William still suffers from amnesia and much of his past remains a blank. As an enquiry agent, William takes on various cases that his clients don't want the police to know about, such as the one with Katrina Harcus
Katrina wants Monk to find out if her suitor, Michael Dolgarno, a junior partner in a company building railroads, is involved in illegal activities, possibly land fraud. The deeper Monk digs into the case, old memories begin to reawaken and the enquiry agent is afraid that at one time he may have been involved in something illegal. Unable to turn for comfort to Hester, Monk is determined to find out the truth about his past once and for all and though he knows his client is a fool he starts making inquiries.
Fans of this series will be delighted to know that the tortured hero finally regains a good chunk of his memory and with it a measure of peace. The story line is fascinating with a climax so shocking that readers will remember it in the years to come and wonder how Anne Perry will top this vivid picture of what it means to be poor in the mid-eighteenth century England.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"William Monk, a private detective suffering from amnesia, is asked to work on a case involving possible railroad fraud which seems closely related to one in his past by a young lady whose finace may be involved. In seeking to find out if there is fraud, he must also delve into his past and perhaps discover his own secrets. Hester, Monk's wife and a nurse, is running a clinic for prostitutes. A rich business man also involved with the railroads has been found murdered in the area and the police are cracking down trying to find the killer. The police presence is causing a slowdown in business for the prostitutes and many are being beaten by their pimps. Hester gets involved to try and help them. Anne Perry paints a picture of the seamier side of 19th century England. "
Jack Goodstein, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Death Of A Stranger |
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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 - 20% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 19th century
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Murder of certain profession?
- businessmen
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- theft/fraud investigation
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- prostitute
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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