Lumpkin County, North Carolina Sheriff Baldwin calls Savannah cop Pierce Reed to come immediately to a crime scene in a wooded area as his name was found with the deceased. Pierce is shown a coffin containing two bodies and a microphone. Apparently someone Pierce knows Barbara Jean Marx was buried alive with an existing corpse.
Savannah Sentinel reporter Nikki Gillette follows Pierce and his partner Sylvie Morrisette as they try to uncover the identity of a serial killer. The culprit seems to be toying with Pierce as the offender appears to intimately know the cop. As Pierce cannot shake off Nikki, he finds himself falling in love with her, a feeling the journalist reciprocates. Neither one knows the connection Nikki has with the psychopath, but Pierce is willing to risk his life to keep his beloved from being the next person buried alive.
The latest Lisa Jackson's Georgia police procedural romance (see THE NIGHT BEFORE) is a solid terse tale that hooks the audience from the eerie opening scene until the climax. The story line never slows down from the moment Barbara Jean knows she has been buried alive with a dead body until the final confrontation between the heroes and the villain. Though the motive for the homicides seems crazy (than again the killer is crazy), fans will appreciate the lead couple and his partner as the stress on each of them from love and from the murders is palpable. Once again Ms Jackson provides a terse romantic suspense with the accent on thriller.
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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?
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- journalist
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
