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| Plot Summary of The Bone Vault |
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Scribner, Jan 2003, 25.00, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0743223543
At the reception for a controversial show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Director Pierre Thibodaux speaks with guest attendee Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper. Pierre informs Coop, the head of Sex Crimes Division, that the corpse of a modern day female rather than the mummified remains of an Egyptian princess was found in a sarcophagus during a routine customs inspection.
Coop brings in her “team” of NYPD detectives, Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, to investigate the homicide. The threesome quickly learns the identity of the deceased Katrina Gooten, a worker at the Cloisters, Manhattan's monastery. The trio digs deeper into the museum, that of the Cloisters, and the Museum of Natural History as the trail takes them on a tour seemingly all over Manhattan in an attempt to find the killer.
This police procedural story line is well designed and fun to read especially with the charged sexual relationship that both Coop and Mike react to by competing in cerebral contests that keeps the flesh from any lusty formations. When Linda Fairstein goes into her prosecutor's role on sidebars such as ancient funeral rites, the subplot provides well-written interesting information, but also slows down the prime theme. Still Coop is a great character starring in a strong investigative tale that sub-genre fans will welcome as long as the audience avoids betting on Jeopardy.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"The body of a museum researcher is found murdered inside the sarcophagus of an ancient mummy princess. Alex cooper is called to investigate. Her investigation uncovers some ugly secrets of the museums past. In the course of the investigation, another museum employee is found murdered. The friend of the murder victim reluctantly agrees to fly in from Europe to aide in investigation. The friend fears coming forward could endanger her own life. The friend uncovers clues previously unseen, giving Alex just what she needs to find the murderer. But, will it be in time?"
Tracey Ray, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Bone Vault |
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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 - 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?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Murder of certain profession?
- museum nerd
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
- Female
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
- power
The antagonists are:
- big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Europe
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
- dropped from large heights
- perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death?
Yes
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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