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| Plot Summary of Family Matters |
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Five Star, Sep 2004, 26.95, 274 pp.
ISBN: 1594142343
In Donhaven, children's book illustrator and painter Jenny Tyler notices her neighbor's overflow of mail. Though not much more than acquaintances, she goes to check on Dolan, but notices his cat Choc acting weird. Jenny rings the bell, but receives no response. She notices the door is unlocked, enters and finds Dolan dead.
Police Chief Pierce comforts her when troubleshooter Gabe Daniels arrives on the scene. Gabe works for the DEA and corporate CEO Sterling Thomas. He bullies Jenny, but she mostly ignores him. When Dolan turns out to be embezzler DeWitt and his house is blown up, Gabe worries that Jenny is in peril especially when assailants break into her home. As they become better acquainted Jenny and Gabe fall in love, but she has a history with the mob and he trusts no one not even his grandfather.
This is an intriguing police procedural romance that ironically showcases in a twisted way that FAMILY MATTERS. Gabe and Jenny are solid protagonists while Pierce and to lesser degree Thomas are the elderly statesmen. The falling in love subplot takes a back seat to a suspense story.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Family Matters |
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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?
- 60%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
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:
- government 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
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:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
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
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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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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