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Thicker Than Water
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Plot Summary of Thicker Than Water
"

St. Martin's, Mar 2005, 22.95, 224 pp.
ISBN: 0312334087

Genealogist and historical tour guide Torie O'Shea and her spouse return from vacation to their home in New Kassel, Missouri where she learns that her employer Sylvia Pershing passed away at one hundred and two. Torie grieves her loss because she truly loved her cantankerous but honest boss and thought the senior citizen would be around forever. Shockingly at least to Torie, she inherits Sylvia's wealthy estate including the historical Gaheimer House.

Torie begins the monumental task of cataloguing the many boxes filled with objects letters, pictures and other documents dating back over eight decades. However, one odd 1920s postcard with a picture of a young girl on the front and a strange message on the back that says “I think you have forgotten your promise” surprises Torie as the two sides do not gel. The genealogist soon learns that Sylvia hired a private detective. Unable to resist especially as she begins to wonder if her boss was murdered, Torie seeks the truth.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Thicker Than Water
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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? - 80%
Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - champion of justice
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 - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - unemployed
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
The US: - Midwest

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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Who Killed the Queen of Clubs? by Patricia Sprinkle


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