| Plot Summary of Taken at the Flood |
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"The Cloade family has always financially depended upon Gordon Cloade, the sole member of the family who was really wealthy. His brother Lionel, a doctor, counted on him to finance his scientific experiments, Gordon sent money to their sister every three months or so and Rowley, the future husband of Lynn, Gordon's niece, knew that Gordon would help him extend his farm after the war. So, when Gordon Cloade, after a transatlantic cruise, comes back to London and tells them that he's just married Rosaleen, the 25 years old widow of Robert Underhay, it's a shock for the Cloade family. And when Gordon dies, two days later during an air raid, without having had the time to modify his will, it's truly a tragedy.
Rosaleen is Gordon's sole heir and, with her no good brother, David Hunter, moves in Gordon's lustful estates. The Cloades, used to be supported by Gordon, try to draw off money from Rosaleen but soon David convinces his sister to stop wasting time and money for them. A few days later, David Hunter is contacted by a man who tells him that Robert Underhay could very well be still alive, somewhere in Africa. David accepts to pay the blackmailer but must leave town at once when the man is found dead in his hotel room. Lynn's fiancé, Rowley, decides then to ask the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot to come to Warmsley Vale and try to prove that the blackmailer was Robert Underhay himself. Poirot quickly finds an old friend of Underhay, the Colonel Porter, who identifies his friend. The following day, the Colonel Porter commits suicide (or not), and the police is forced to release David Hunter who has an alibi. When Rosaleen also dies, poisoned, Hercule Poirot will start his own investigation. First published in 1948.
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Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Taken at the Flood |
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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
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- depressing/sad
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Special suspect?
- relative
Murder of certain profession?
- "All in the family" murder
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- "All in the family" murder
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Any non-mystery subplot?
- inheritance struggle
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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