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That Way Murder Lies
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Plot Summary of That Way Murder Lies
"

St. Martin's, Jan 2005, 23.95, 279 pp.
ISBN: 0312338279

Meredith Mitchell is elated to see her friend Toby Smythe, temporarily home from an overseas assignment, for the first time in a long time. However, Toby is not here on a friendship renewal visit. He needs a favor, but not from Meredith. Toby's relative Alison Jenner needs help as someone has been sending her hate mail that implies that she murdered her Aunt Freida Kemp over two decades ago; a crime that she was acquitted of doing by a court of law and never solved. She hopes that Toby can get Meredith's fiancé Detective Superintendent Alan Markby to investigate who the loathing pen pal is.

Markby meets Alison, her spouse Jenner, and his daughter Fiona. Before he can follow up, someone murders Fiona. Though the cause of death is different from the Kemp killing the similar crime scenes make the murder seem somewhat like a copy cat first homicide. Markby ably assisted by new team member Jessica Campbell and amateurish by his fiancée and her friend, begins to unravel the current homicide whose roots go back twenty-five years ago when Frieda was killed.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of That Way Murder Lies
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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 - 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 - British
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
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 - 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
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

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
Most similar books to That Way Murder Lies
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Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter by Emily Brightwell
The Sting of Death by Rebecca Tope
Reflections by Jo Bannister
The Body of a Woman by Clare Curzon


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