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Mama Cracks a Mask of Innocence
Nora DeLoach Book Review

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Plot Summary of Mama Cracks a Mask of Innocence
"

Bantam, Jul 2001, 5.99, 208 pp.
ISBN: 0553577247

    Though the drive is more than three hours from Atlanta to Otis, South Carolina, when Mama tells her daughter to come home, Simone always does as fast as she can. Mama needs help in sorting and distributing clothing collected from her town's annual charity drive and she knows that Simone is perfect to insure a successful conclusion.

    Unfortunately, the discovery of Brenda Long's body in a shallow grave diverts Mama and Simone from the clothing drive. The victim's mother and godmother ask Mama to uncover the identity of Brenda's killer, as they know she and her daughter have solved several homicides. Mama and Simone begin their brand of investigation that will force them to look closely at what is really happening in Otis.

    Up front, anyone who reads this series adores Mama. She finds a plethora of suspects wanting Brenda dead in her latest amateur sleuthing caper. Half way through the plot, readers will know who killed the victim, but will only have half the story as a shocker awaits the audience due to stunning plotting on the part of Nora DeLoach. This mystery is a convincing and entertaining tale that augments the growing legend of Mama.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Mama Cracks a Mask of Innocence
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Kind of investigator - amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - finding a known killer

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - homemaker
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
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: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - homemaker
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
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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