Viking, April 2005, 24.95, 274 pp.
ISBN 0670033863
Climbers love to challenge New Hampshire's Mount Washington, New England's tallest mountain. When they get in trouble a search and rescue is mounted; one of the volunteers is high school teacher Will Buchanan. When it is thought a boy is lost on the mountain Will and others in SAR go looking for him but instead find the body of a dead woman. A month ago another woman was also murdered in roughly the same area.
Will and his girlfriend Sheriff Laurie learn the deceased is Samantha Rayley, who used to hike and rock climb on Mount Washington but was caring for her son who has cancer and the bills are astronomical. The police think she came back to town to blackmail the father of her child into paying some of the medical bills. Suspicion falls on Mr. Carpenter who had an affair with her years ago. A search of his house finds Samantha's wallet, the gun that was used to shoot Laurie, a fair amount of pot and a pile of money. Not content to let the police take care of it, Will goes after Carpenter, but when his target has the chance to kill him he does not. Will reconsiders Carpenter's guilt and intends to find out who the real perpetrator is.
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).
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
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
- Killer purposely leaves clues
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- teacher
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
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
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
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
