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| Plot Summary of The Sterling Inheritance |
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"
Dunne, Jul 2004, 23.95, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0312319274
Russian expatriate Katerina Sterling hires the Midnight Detective Agency to find her missing husband, financial investor Anthony. His mom Victoria, owner of the private sleuth company, assigns the search to her son part-time investigator Jason Wilder. The relatively easy job turns ugly when Anthony pulls out a gun on Jason, who disarms the man. The River City police arrive almost immediately and quickly handcuff Jason until he is able to clear things up.
Anthony, insisting someone wants to kill him, is accused of murder until he too is found dead. Jason makes inquiries into the deaths thinking in terms of the Russian connection or the wealthy Sterling link as best bets. As Jason checks into the ties to the deceased, he is attracted to Anthony's sister Janice and starts thinking with his wrong head. Thank goodness Mommy Dearest would never let any harm come to her boy as she would not want to think she wasted nine hours in labor, but will Queen Victoria be able to get Anthony to look at the gig a bit differently.
Readers will enjoy this urban Noir starring a host of delightful characters. The relationships that Jason has fostered including the one with his dynamic mother are off beat, quirky and it is fun to observe the give and take. In many ways, Victoria steals the show with her hard ass love for her son. The case is well written and clever, but it is the cast that explains why Mike Siverling won the St. Martin's 2002 Best First Private Eye Mystery contest.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Sterling Inheritance |
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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 - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
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
- hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
The antagonists are:
- foreign organized crime
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
Mike Siverling Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Harriet Klausner
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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