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| Plot Summary of The Church of Dead Girls |
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"Three young girls who had been abducted are found in the attic of a home in Aurelius, NY. They are dead, bound by rope to chairs side by side, and missing their left hands. The story narration turns back in time to when two unsettling events occur just a short period prior to the grisly discovery. First is the gruesome murder of Janice McNeal, ex-wife to Patrick and mother of Aaron. She is not very subtle about her sexual liaisons and is reputed to have had over two hundred lovers. Her corpse too, has lost its left hand. The second altering event for the town is the hiring of history professor Houari Chihani a radical Marxist for Aurelius College. He initiates a socio-political reading group Inquiries Into the Right (IIR) that eventually attracts ten youthful misfit adherents to his political and social philosophies.
The ten individuals, led by Aaron McNeal, begin thumbing their noses at the town's power structure and conservative lifestyle quickly drawing the ire of the locals. As bad things begin to happen the group members are singled out for suspicion and even retribution. The attitudes and actions turn ugly on both sides with assaults, property damage, and accusations. Beneath the idyllic exterior Aurelius is rife with anger, bitterness, infidelity, pettiness, jealousy, and sickness. Aaron's half sister Paula marries Franklin the editor of the town's paper as his first wife recently passed away from cancer leaving him with their daughter Sadie. Aaron conducts his own investigation into the murder of his mother, believing it to be related to the disappearance of the girls. As dozens of characters are introduced their relationships to one another are expounded upon. Eventually the town comes apart at the seams losing its sense of civic-cohesiveness as neighbor fears neighbor."
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Church of Dead Girls |
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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 - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 80%
Special suspect?
- investigator him/herself
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- character killed during/after sexing
- Killer purposely leaves clues
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
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:
- student
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
- wild
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- deluded
- wild
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a substantial amount
Motive of antagonist
- kicks
The antagonists are:
- rednecks
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Dumb
Physique
- missing body parts/abilities
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- dumb rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
- hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids
- sinister, like an X-Files Gomer Pyle
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture
How many deaths?
- 8 or more
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- licking
- actual description of sex
- descript. of breasts
- descript. of other female areas
- descript. of male nudity
- homosexuals doing their thing
Unusual forms of death
- blunt clubbing (like seals)
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Stephen Dobyns Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Fletcher
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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