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| Plot Summary of The Sting of Death |
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"
St. Martin's, August 2004, 23.95, 224 pp.
ISBN 0312316550
Drew Slocombe is an undertaker who does natural burials behind his house which is situated on ten acres of land. He also has a local and national reputation as an amateur sleuth because he solved some murder investigations. Perhaps that is why his wife's cousin Penn comes to him when her cousin Justine Pereira turns up missing. Justine is living on Penn and Sheena's farm baby sitting their daughter Georgia in exchange for reduced rent and a barn to do her pottery.
Justine was supposed to meet Pen for lunch but never showed up and her search of Justine's house made her think that Justine left in a hurry. Pen becomes interested in the case and with his work assistant Maggs Beacon searches the house and finds enough evidence to report Justine's disappearance to Detective Sargent Pen Cooper. The plot thickens when Justine shows up at her mother Roma's house saying Pen kidnapped her and the body of Georgia is found in a ditch on the Renton farm. Penn disappears leaving everyone to wonder what was really going on at the Renton farm.
The protagonists from Rebecca Tope's two series come together in THE STING OF DEATH to solve a crime that leaves the policeman and the undertaker totally confused. The Rentons are a strange couple with Sheena believing her daughter was at her mother in law's house and Phillip saying he had an affair with Justine who took Georgia with her when she went camping. They are very neglectful parents but the police cast their suspicions until mother Roma comes up with a brilliant way of getting at the truth.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Sting of Death |
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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
- police procedural, British
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:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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