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| Plot Summary of A Dangerous Thing |
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"Used bookseller Adrien English had had it! He was tired of LAPD Detective Jake Riordan waffling back and forth between wanting to have a relationship with him and being too scared to admit that he could have feelings for another guy that didn't involve S&M and bondage. So Adrien threw some stuff in his car, left his beloved store in the hands of his less-than-able assistant, and headed out to his grandmother's Pine Shadow Ranch, which she left to him when she died.
Adrien hadn't been to the ranch since he was a little kid and he was looking forward to the peace and quiet so that he could work on his latest guy-whodunit, which wasn't going so well. However, running into a dead body in his driveway was not the best way to start a vacation. By the time Adrien had contacted the sheriff and explained the situation, the body was gone. Vanished. T
he sheriff was sure that Adrien was just imagining things and saw a drunk trying to sleep it off and Adrien let himself be persuaded for the time being. Unfortunately, things didn't look too much better in the morning. Adrien soon discovers that his supposed "caretaker" was growing marijuana on his property and he had forged Adrien's name to give permission to the local university to run an archaeological dig on his land. Too bad he is missing and Adrien can't find him. Before Adrien can do much else, Jake shows up on his porch demanding to know why the police are calling to ask questions about Adrien. When Jake hears that Adrien is involved in another murder mystery, he tries his best to persuade Adrien to go back to Hollywood where he belongs. But Adrien is positive that the dead body he saw that first night was the body of his caretaker and is determined to get to the bottom of the many mysteries in the sleepy, small town.
This is the second book starring Adrien English, following Fatal Shadows, and it was just as good, if not better than the first. This one is much longer and has a more fleshed out and fully developed story. All of the characters are fun to get to know and it is amusing to watch Adrien and Jake try to get along together and figure out what they are going to do about their supposed "relationship." I also really enjoyed the mystery(s). The plot was fast paced and very interesting. I sat down and read the book in a couple of hours, it was that good. The fact that the main character is gay may put some readers off, but this is a fine mystery in its own right. "
Debbie, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Dangerous Thing |
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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 - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Special suspect?
- investigator him/herself
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur 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:
- small businessman
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- jealousy
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
Farm/Ranch?
Yes
Farm/Ranch:
- ranch
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 2
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- homosexuals doing their thing
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Josh Lanyon Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Debbie
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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