Kensington, Sept 2002, 22.00, 342 pp.
ISBN 075820258X
Frankie Richmond is a working class London barrister who is very loyal to her friends so when Saskia asks her to represent her in court on a drunk and disorderly charge, she agrees. When the hearing is over, a seedy-looking individual asks Frankie for her client's name and her own but she refuses to tell. When she goes to a local Italian restaurant she spots the same mangy man who was at the court. Angry at being followed, she turns the tables on him by following him by car.
He knocks out her vehicle's rear end forcing Frankie to stop. When she does, he hits her, giving her a black eye. Not long afterward, the police question Frankie in the murder of Kevin Latimer. When they search her apartment they find his credit card and down at the jail they inform her that her car's license plate was on the body. Frankie goes looking for Saskia for some answers but she proves hard to find, but locate her she must if she wants to clear her name and have the charges dropped.
GOOD BAD WOMAN is a funky urban noir crime thriller. The who-done-it is very cleverly constructed and multi-layered with many interconnecting paths. The protagonist is a likable character desperately trying to figure out why she is being framed and who is behind it. Along the way, there are several times she comes close to losing her life, which makes her think that the perpetrator is becoming desperate. Elizabeth Woodcraft is a talented writer who uses humor to defuse tense situations of a strong mystery thriller.
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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 - 40% 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?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in that culture
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- 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
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
