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| Plot Summary of Restless Spirit |
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"
Full Moon, Oct 2002, 22.95, 294 pp.
ISBN: 0966602161
On maternity leave, Detective Sergeant Samantha Casey wanders around a construction site when she hears a dying female voice with no one but the male foreman in the area. She picks up a button and sees a vision as if a murder mystery is playing on the TV. After consulting with her mother, the only person who believes in her psychic abilities, Sam begins checking the files of her detective husband for brutal fatal stabbing cases in the Briar Woods area of Chasen heights.
Sam's research leads her to Jimmy Taggert. The convicted murderer sits on death row awaiting state execution for the 1985 brutal murder of Catherine DeMarco. The evidence is so powerful that he has to be the killer yet Sam's psychic abilities say otherwise. Unable to rest, Sam visits retired detective Paul Goddard, who led the DeMarco murder investigation seventeen years ago. Paul is an alcoholic struggling with personal problems, but informs Sam that he always felt, but could not prove, that Taggert was too perfect. Reluctantly, Paul agrees to work with Sam though he is very skeptical about her psychic powers but knows this might help ease his conscience.
RESTLESS SPIRIT is an entertaining paranormal investigative tale due to the lead character (see WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK for Sam's first appearance). The story line is cleverly designed so that readers obtain a taste of the negative reactions of the secondary characters including the victim's family, the heroine's husband, and even her temporary partner to Sam's “intrusive” sleuthing. Though Paul's baggage drags, fans will gain extensive satisfaction from S.D. Tooley's tale that reads like Marge Gunderson (Fargo) having psychic abilities.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Restless Spirit |
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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 - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
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:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- psychic investigator
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
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- clairvoyant
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- Russian
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
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
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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