| Plot Summary of Ghost of a Chance |
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Berkley, August 2003, 5.99, 272 pp.
ISBN 0425191281
After her husband left her for a young bimbo, Emerald O'Brien and her two children left Seattle and moved to Chiqetaw where she opened up the Chintz ‘n China Tea Room, a store that sells fine china and other objects pertaining to tea. To bring in additional income she reads the tarot cards and is known to the townsfolk as the resident witch. Emerald knew from an early age that she had the Gift, seeing spirits and casting spells.
One night she is woken up to see a ghost hovering over her bed. Using automatic writing, the spirit says she is Susan Mitchell and that her husband killed her. The next day Em sees a picture of Susan in the paper stating she died in an accident and her spouse has an airtight alibi and doesn't inherit a dime of her considerable wealth so he has no motive. Em risks her life to fighting an evil spirit that followed Susan into the material plane and finding her killer so the woman can travel to the next plane.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"The first in the Chintz 'n China Mystery Series, Ghost of a Chance tells the story of Emerald O'Brien, owner of the Chintz 'n China Tea Room, tarot reader, the 'town witch', and single mother of two. When Susan Mitchell's ghost shows up at her bedside begging Emerald to help her, Em isn't prepared for the chaos into which she is about to be thrust. Susan Mitchell insists that she was murdered by her husband and expects Emerald to help her prove it. Before Emerald can begin to delve into the lies and deceptions surrounding Susan's death, a darker spirit appears. Now Emerald must take on the evil entity threatening her family, find the murderer who has struck again, and somehow put Susan Mitchell's spirit to rest. Together with her friends, Murray, a policewoman, and Harlow, an ex-supermodel, Emerald must somehow find the key to stopping two evil forces--one supernatural, and the other a very real flesh-and-blood killer.
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Yasmine Galenorn, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Ghost of a Chance |
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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 - 15%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 35%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 35%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 15%
Tone of story
- very humorous
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
- 70%
Special suspect?
- chronically deranged person
Murder of certain profession?
- criminals
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 family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- can read emotions
- can see into the future
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Pacific NW
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- licking
- actual description of sex
- descript. of breasts
Unusual forms of death
- dropped from large heights
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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