| Plot Summary of The Last to Die |
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Zebra, Jan 2004, 6.50, 416 pp.
ISBN: 0821772163
In Cherokee Point, Tennessee, heir to a fortune Jamie Upton may be engaged but he still plays the field. One of his ladies is Jazzy Talbot, owner of Jazzy's Joint, a popular restaurant and bar. She knows she should stop seeing the philanderer, but so far has not cut the ties. However, a third party severs the connection when that person brutally kills Jamie.
Most of the townsfolk believe that Jazzy killed her lover in a crime of passion because the evidence points towards someone he knew and trusted. However, Sheriff Butler and psychic Genny Madoc believe otherwise though they feel a woman committed the atrocity. Soon other murders follow and a frightened prime suspect Jazzy turns to her new bouncer, drifter Caleb McCord for protection, but neither expected love to spring up between them.
This sequel is an exciting serial killer romance that gains the attention of readers from the start as everyone will wonder who the red haired killer is. Jazzy and Caleb are a delightful duo; however, the return of Genny from THE FIFTH VICTIM is duel edged as fans will enjoy reading her latest visions but also wonder how many serial killers stalk Cherokee Point (population control?). Still THE LAST TO DIE is a terse thriller that fans will appreciate and wonder who will be AS GOOD AS DEAD when Jazzy's doppelganger arrives in Cherokee Point next November.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"Cherokee Pointe, Tennesse, has seen murder before, but nothing like what claimed the life of Jamie Upton. The number one suspect is Jamie's former lover Jazzy Talbot. Jazzy knows she didn't kill Jamie, just like she knows she's being watched. Jazzy plunges into the town's long-buried secrets, each startling truth bringing her close to a killer determined to make Jazzy the last to die.
"The Last To Die", the second book in the "Cherokee Pointe" trilogy, brings back favorite charactors from "The Fifth Victim", most notably Jazzy, Jacob, and Genny with more of her visions. Beverly Barton delivers with a detailed and often vivid descrition of the mind of a pyschopath and still explores the simple lifes of the citizens of Cherokee Pointe in this suspenseful tale. "
Greg Bryant, Resident Scholar
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"Jazzy has always loved Jamie Upton, the heir to the Upton fortune and town user and loser. When Jamie is brutally murdered, Jazzy is the prime suspect because of their rocky romantic history. Jazzy has always been the town's favorite source of gossip and the murder just brings up buried history. Jazzy turns to her bar bouncer, Caleb McCord, who has made no effort to hide his feelings for Jazzy. Before she can move on, she must come to grips with her past and track down the real killer. Complicating the situation is a woman who looks enough like Jazzy to be her twin, friends desperately trying to keep her safe."
Tiffany, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Last to Die |
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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 - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
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?
- 40%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
The crook is....
- stalking/killing innocents
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller
Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- small businessman
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
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- mentally ill
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
- Deep South
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- actual description of sex
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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