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| Plot Summary of Land of the Living |
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"
Warner, May 2003, 23.95, 341 pp.
ISBN: 0446531510
Twenty-five year old Londoner, Abbie Devereaux awakens to find herself tied up in a dark room with no memory of how she got there or any other recent event. Amongst the abuse she receives, her host also taunts her with a list of his previous victims. Abbie manages to escape.
As she recuperates from her ordeal the hospital, at no one believes her story including her doctors and Detective Inspector Jack Cross, who insists there is no crime scene. Abbie returns to her life, but finds her home, her job, and her boyfriend not quite matching her memories. She wonders if her doctors are right that she is screaming for help or was she really kidnapped and that impacted her recall. She also questions why her roommate is missing and who is this Ben now in her life. Abbie needs to know if she had a breakdown or is he still there stalking her? Whatever is the truth Abbie plans to find her flat mate and regain control of her life.
Abbie is obviously the key player in this thriller that readers will have to read to decide whether this is a serial killer suspense tale or a work of psychological suspense. The story line works quite well when the disconcerted heroine wonders about the truth while feeling deep in her soul the terror of abduction and whether it happened or not. Nicci French provides a powerfully taut thriller.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"Abbie woke up in darkness. She had a hood over her head and was tied up. After days of little food and water she began to lose her memory. There was a man that would come to torment her by telling her she was going to die soon. She managed to get away. Now in the hospital she has to convince people she is not crazy. They don't believe her. Abbie goes on her own hunt to remember what her life was like. In the process she finds her kidnapper and the person who murdered her friend she didn't even remember having.
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Sherrie L. Jones, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Land of the Living |
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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 - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Amnesia story?
Yes
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...
- hunted by killer/stalker
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- business executive
- clerk
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
- mastermind
Eccentric:
Yes
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
- kicks
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
- 5-7
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
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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