| Plot Summary of A Cold Touch of Ice |
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Poisoned Pen, Aug 2004,
ISBN: 1590580656
In 1912, Italy invades Tripolitania. Turkey declares war on Italy since Tripolitania belongs to them. Most of Europe wants to remain out of the conflict hoping that it will remain somewhat localized. British leaders choose a neutral path, but not all of the empire agrees. Though a British Protectorate, Egypt remains part of the Ottoman Empire and sympathies lie strongly with the Turks.
In Cairo, someone strangled to death an Italian-Egyptian Sidi Morelli, a resident for forty years whose warehouse contained weapons. Gareth Owen, the Mamur Zapt, investigates the homicide wondering if this is the beginning of an anti-Italian movement or was the murder tied to the guns? As he digs deeper and looks into several seemingly unrelated other incidents, Owen struggles with what he should do with his beloved Zeinab, who as she turns thirty wants a deeper commitment from him. As his own loyalties are questioned even by himself and Zeinab demands more of him, Owen wonders if it is time to relocate to perhaps Zanzibar.
As usual, Michael Pearce provides a deep early twentieth century historical mystery that brings to life Egypt under British control. The story line works on three levels (historical, investigative, and personal) that cleverly intertwine into a cohesive who-done-it.
Harriet Klausner"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Cold Touch of Ice |
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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 - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
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:
- 1900-1920's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, Foreign
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
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
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:
- politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
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
Africa
Yes
Part of Africa:
- Arabic Africa
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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