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| Plot Summary of The Earthquake Bird |
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"
Mysterious, Sep 2001, 22.95, 213 pp.
ISBN: 0892967420
The Japanese police find the dismembered torso of a female in Tokyo Bay. They believe the victim is Lily Bridges, a Yorkshire, England woman who tended bar in the city. The prime suspect is a compatriot, Lucy Fly, who works as a translator. The third person involved in a triangle with the two women is photographer Teiji, but he has vanished.
The police question Lucy who speaks about herself as if she was referring to someone else. Lucy sort of hints at doing the crime, but has not actually confessed. Instead the vulnerable Englishwoman never quite explains why she left her country or what she is doing in Japan, nor can she provide depth to an alleged deep love affair with her missing Japanese lover, or fully elucidate her relationship with the culprit here and in England. The police (and the readers) wonder if she really killed Lily or is she just a crazy person unable to cope with life?
THE EARTHQUAKE BIRD is a powerful debut tale that is part psychological drama and part police procedural. Because of elements from both sub-genres strongly used in the story line, readers do not know which way the plot will spin until the novel reaches its disturbing but clever climax. Susanna Jones has written an incredible shocker of a tale that will leave the audience demanding more books like this triumphant chiller from a new talent whose abilities will send tremors throughout the genre.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"Not so much a murder mystery as I expected, but more a story about relationships and how past life not only comes back to haunt you, but also shapes who and what you are. "
Katherine Bradshaw, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Earthquake Bird |
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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
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 80%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 40%
- 70%
Special suspect?
- investigator him/herself
- best friend
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- character killed during/after sexing
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- searching for missing person
- feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- teacher
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- emotionally unstable
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Japan
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
- 2
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- actual description of sex
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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