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A Quarter for a Kiss
Mindy Starns Clark Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Quarter for a Kiss
"

Harvest House, Jan 2004, 333 pp.
ISBN: 0736912932

In the North Carolina Mountains, Callie and Tom spend three weeks together becoming acquainted in person with one another after only meeting over the telephone due to work. Tom is the philanthropist behind the J.O.S.H.U.A. Project while Callie investigates non-profit groups for grant suitability. Tom introduces Callie to his favorite hobby, mountain climbing while Callie does likewise with canoeing. Both feel something special connects them.

As their time together draws to a close, Stella Gold calls to tell them that her spouse, Eli the man who brought Callie and Tom together has been shot. They rush to Cape Canaveral to visit Eli in the hospital. The ailing Eli asks Callie and Tom to find out who shot him. The duo would refuse nothing if Eli asked so they begin investigating and soon find themselves in danger in the Virgin Islands from someone who wants certain truths to remain hidden.

The fourth Million Dollar Mystery' is a fantastic story that moves the series forward on a personal level as well as providing the audience with a delightful who-done-it. The relationship between Tom and Callie evolves beautifully as each finds they are falling in love with the other, but has baggage holding them back. The amateur sleuth inquiries is cleverly handled because of Callie, who though she is not a detective, her work makes her something more than an amateur. Mindy Starns Clark keeps the suspense going from the moment the dynamic pair reach Florida until the final confrontation in St. Johns and the romance blossoming from the first wall climb to the closing discussion making the upcoming half dollar tale something to look forward to reading.

Harriet Klausner

"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of A Quarter for a Kiss
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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? - 60%
Kind of investigator - husband/wife boy/girlfriend investigators
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 - Female
Profession/status: - business executive
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
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: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
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: - Southeast
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - The Caribbean

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 0 (not a murder mystery)
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to A Quarter for a Kiss
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Mindy Starns Clark Resident Scholar Profiles

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Harriet Klausner  

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