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| Plot Summary of A Taint in the Blood |
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"
St. Martin's, Sep 2004, 24.95, 305 pp.
ISBN: 0312306830
Over three decades ago in Alaska, wealthy Victoria Pilz Bannister Muravieff was convicted of murdering her oldest son William by setting a fire to their home; her other son Oliver escaped by jumping out a window. At the time of her conviction Victoria insisted she was innocent, but once in jail accepted her lot stoically.
Now Victoria is dying from uterine cancer and her daughter Charlotte, who believes her mom is innocent, wants her to come home. Her only hope is to learn what happened on that fatal day. No Anchorage based sleuth will touch the case so she travels to the wilderness to persuade Kate Shugak to find out who set the fire. Kate accepts the job because the fee is too great to refuse. Talking about refusal, Victoria wants no part of the investigation refusing to assist Kate. As the sleuth continues to dig up information, someone else wants Victoria left behind bars until she dies and that person will kill to keep what happened secret thirty-one years ago.
Shugak's fourteenth Alaska mystery is an enjoyable tale as every new piece of evidence that Kate finds confirms the conviction and the key “witness” will not help her own cause. The story line also contains a romantic subplot, but that detours the reader away from the prime did she really do it. When Kate stays within the course of her investigation, the audience receives a powerful tale of family secrets to include murder and blackmail and a look back at Anchorage that makes the love subplot pale. Fans of the series will appreciate this solid sleuthing tale.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Taint in the Blood |
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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%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- solving long-past murder
Kind of investigator
- hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
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?
- middling 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:
- 40's-50'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
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Alaska
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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