| Plot Summary of The Lonely Dead |
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" Ex-CIA agent Ward Hopkins' life was never perfect. But in the last few months, it's definitely taken a turn for the worst. Ward is on the run, slinking around the USA's least glamourous states, staying in run-down motels and other dark, dubious places where there is usually a KEEP OUT sign on the door. Three months ago, Ward discovered a group of well-heeled sociopaths called The Straw Men while trying to find the people who killed his parents. Together with Bobby Nygard, his best friend, and two agents trying to solve a kidnapping case, Nina Baynam and John Zandt, Ward storms The Straw Men's hideout. Along the way, Ward 'reunites' with his long-lost twin brother, Paul, also known as The Upright Man, and gets The Straw Men's billion dollar hideaway blown to bits.
Now Bobby is dead, John is AWOL, and Nina's career is going downhill. Ward is trying to track down his brother when Nina asks for help on a murder case. A woman has been found dead, sitting bolt upright in her hotel room. After some investigation, and a second murder, Ward begins to suspect that the killings and his own problems may be connected, and that The Straw Men's influence is much farther reaching then he first thought.
"
Ellie Chaucer, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Lonely Dead |
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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 - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- "All in the family" murder
- Killer purposely leaves clues
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
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:
- unemployed
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- mentally ill
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
The antagonists are:
- radical right wingers
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Pacific NW
- California
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- dropped from large heights
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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