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Beginner's Luck: A Paul Grey Murder Mystery
Cheryl Ritzel Book Review

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Plot Summary of Beginner's Luck: A Paul Grey Murder Mystery
"Retiring Senator Allan Puckett has been mentoring his daughter, Lindsey Grey, as she campaigns to take over his Senate seat. The Senator commits suicide and a local art dealer is killed, both with the same gun. The ensuing cursory police investigation "reveals" the Senator must have killed the art dealer and then himself because the two were involved in art theft, forgery, and blackmail. Lindsey Grey's chances of winning her election dwindle with the media coverage of her father's underhanded dealings. Her husband, Paul Grey, takes up amateur sleuthing and begins investigating the arrogant, manipulative, delusional, and sometimes homicidal suspects. With hard work, determination, and some "beginner's luck" Paul Grey is able to reveal a double murderer, the truth about the Senator, and his true calling. "
Cheryl Ritzel, Resident Scholar


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Review Analysis of Beginner's Luck: A Paul Grey Murder Mystery
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).
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 - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - very humorous
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? - 80%
Special suspect? - chronically deranged person
Murder of certain profession? - politicians
Misc. Murder Plotlets - local police w/ IQ of a houseplant - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator - husband/wife boy/girlfriend investigators
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - theft/fraud investigation
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - computer programmer
Age: - 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental: Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric - deluded
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - revenge
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast
City? Yes

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 3-4
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing
Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - mostly dialog
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