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Deadly Diamonds
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Plot Summary of Deadly Diamonds
"    Private Investigator Leonard Townsend is based in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, and is used to dealing with local problems such as trailing wayward spouses or locating missing pets. When Ruth Small asks him to find out just how bad her daughter's new boyfriend might be and if the couple are involved in drugs, Leonard doesn't expect too much excitement.

    What does excite him, however, is a breathless message left on his answer phone from someone called Marilyn. She says she needs his help, but doesn't explain what sort of help, nor does she leave a phone number - only a promise to contact him again. While Leonard ponders Marilyn's cryptic message, Ruth Small's daughter, Melissa, is found murdered - stabbed and strangled. With few clues to follow, Leonard begins to explore Melissa's dark past and in doing so, unravels some of the local residents' dirty secrets. In the meantime, Leonard's only suspects in the case are murdered before he has a chance to question them. Marilyn suddenly turns up on Leonard's doorstep and it is clear that she is in the middle of the whole mess. The two band together to find and stop the murderer, as they realize they could both be next on his list.
    What gives this mystery an extra boost is not only the look-a-like Marilyn Monroe character but the witty banter between Leonard and the local police detective, Walter Hughes. The two are clearly the "good ole boys" version of Starsky and Hutch.
"

Joan Dyer-Westacott, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Deadly Diamonds
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - very humorous
How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Murder of certain profession? - students/teachers
Kind of investigator - hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in small town
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 20's-30's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - jealousy
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
United States Yes
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Deadly Diamonds
Murder Of A Sleeping Beauty by Denise Swanson
Quissett by Gordon Mathieson
The Body In The Bonfire by Katherine Hall Page
A Killing Night by Jonathan King
Buried Stuff by Sharon Fiffer


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Pamela Troutman Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Joan Dyer-Westacott  

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