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| Plot Summary of When the Bough Breaks |
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"The protagonist is a child psychologist, Alex Delaware, who after a few months retirement, though he is only 33, is asked by a friend, Milo, a police officer investigating a double murder, to have a word with a seven-year-old girl who may be a witness to the murder. The most horrific crime is gradually unfolded by Alex as he doggedly follows the trail from events that have been unexplained in the past, such as the apparent suicide of a paedophile in Alex's office, and the hit and run death of a young orphan in the middle of the night near the children's home where he is placed. The clues lead to very powerful people who are in a conspiracy going back forty years. Murder, kidnapping and child abuse are only part of it.
"
Penny, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of When the Bough Breaks |
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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
How difficult to spot villain?
- Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Special suspect?
- chronically deranged person
Murder of certain profession?
- businessmen
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?
- drug dealers
- finding a known killer
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
- psychiatrist
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
- just the right amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
- an organization
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- wealthy
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
- kicks
The antagonists are:
- cults
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
- 5-7
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- actual description of sex
- descript. of breasts
- rape (yeech!)
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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