St. Martin's, Jan 2002, 22.95, 208 pp.
ISBN: 0312283539
Although Lavenstock is a small city compared to London, it has its share of crime, but rarely does two major felonies happen on the same day. A house burns down to the ground on a low rent street, but the body inside the rubble is not the Polish man renting the abode. Deputy Superintendent Gil Mayo assigns Abigail Moon to the case much to the dismay of her rival and peer Martin Kite.
Gil designates Martin as the lead investigator on the other case, that of a vicar's wife Cecily Haldane, who was knocked unconscious. Her attacker called for an ambulance. Cecily's prognosis remains bleak. On both cases law enforcement officials run into one dead end after another. They don't know that the two cases are tied to events that occurred over fifty years ago during World War II.
Any police procedural starring Gill Mayo is guaranteed to provide a pleasurable reading experience. A SUNSET TOUCH is one of the better works in this long running series because of the complexity of the characterizations and the intricacies of the two subplots. Marjorie Eccles packs a surprising amount of fascinating detail into this superb novel.
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 90%
Special suspect?
- relative
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- searching for $$$/treasure
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- search for valuable art/artifacts
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
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
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
