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| Plot Summary of The Shiloh Sisters |
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Berkley, Jan 2004, 13.00, 374 pp.
ISBN 0425194035
The Rebels surprised the Union troops at Shiloh and forced General Ulysses S. Grant to give ground until he was able to counter their offensive. In the middle of the battle May Abbott, the wife of a Congressman, receives a pass to go through the lines to see her twin sister in the Confederate held town of Corinth. After a very bloody battle, the Confederate troops retreat. Congressman Abbott puts pressure on General Grant to find out what happened to his wife.
Harrison Raines, Union Spy in Pinkerton's Secret Service, is passing through Corinth and makes his way to Shiloh where he gives General Grant conformation on what is happening in the town. Grant assigns Raines the tasks of finding out what has become of the congressman's wife and it doesn't take too long to discover that she and her sister were both murdered. Now he has to find out who did it and why without getting killed.
Nobody writes an American Civil War mystery better than Michael Killian. Readers will feel they are witnessing first hand the actual battle scene and its aftermath. The hero is a patriotic unorthodox spy whose unusual methods always seen to yield results. The romance between the protagonist and actress Louise Devere, who is a Union spy, a confederate agent, or both, provides a positive counterpoint to the atrocities of wartime.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Shiloh Sisters |
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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)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- american civil war period
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen 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
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
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
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- jealousy
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:
- Midwest
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
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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