"After Goldy caters a college advisory dinner at Elk Park Preparatory School, the private school which her son Arch and live-in helper Julian attend, she finds the body of the senior class valedictorian in the snow on the school grounds. When she calls home, she also finds out that that night a rock was thrown through an upstairs window in her house, where 12-year-old Arch spent the evening alone. The next day Goldy starts getting hang-up calls, and she realizes the rock was not an accident. After a few other things happen at her house, Goldy begins to wonder whether the death of the valedictorian and the goings-on at her house are linked.
Even though Tom Schulz, the local homicide detective, is in charge of the case, Goldy keeps her eyes and ears open as she caters different events at the school and around town. She sees vandalism at the school, and competition among the parents of the top-ranking seniors, especially when a college recruiter comes to town. She also finds out that the valedictorian had been working on something he planned to submit to the local paper, something that could have made someone else want to stop him. Goldy shares all this information with Tom, and at the same time their relationship begins to heats up.
"
Crystal, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Cereal Murders
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 - 20% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Kind of investigator
- husband/wife boy/girlfriend investigators
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- food/cooking
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- chef
Age:
- 20's-30's
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?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- jealousy
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Small town?
Yes
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
