The small rural town of Taneysville in Massachusetts is usually a very quiet place but the residents are now in an uproar over outsider Alex Gordon buying the Quiqley farmhouse. The xenophobic townsfolk's don't want an outsider moving in and building more structures on the property. Members of the Trinity Church vestry are afraid the construction equipment will damage the structure of the church and local residents resent the fact that the contractor isn't hiring local people. All building is abruptly halted when a body is unearthed and the skeletal remains are found to be human body.
Forensics tests prove that the remains are that of a woman and that she was murdered. Newcastle private investigator Rosco Polycrates is hired to discover the identity of the woman and the person who killed her. Roscos's wife Belle Graham, a puzzle constructor for the local newspaper is being sent puzzles by a resident n a nursing home and that person seems to have some knowledge of the skeletal remains. While the duo pursue separate investigative paths, somebody torches the Gordon place and while trying to connect the arson to the homicide, Belle and Rosco solve an unrelated double homicide but are totally clueless about the identity of the murder victim,
Mystery fans that like a light, small town regional mystery is going to have a lot of fun reading CORPUS DE Crossword. The crossword puzzles scattered throughout the novel contain the clues that will enable the reader to solve the mystery. The two protagonists make a great investigative team in the tradition of Nick and Nora and their connubial bliss lightens the mood when they hit a bump in the investigation. Nero Blanc is a master when it comes to constructing puzzling mysteries.
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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)
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?
- 80%
Kind of investigator
- husband/wife boy/girlfriend investigators
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in small town
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?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- business executive
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:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
