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| Plot Summary of The Dead Survivors |
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"
St. Martin's, Mar 2002, 24.95, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0312266995
The case was as obvious as any facing the Minneapolis Police Department. Frank Beck lost his electronics business, has been estranged from most of his family, and suffered from colon cancer. So when his son found him hanging, the official word is suicide. However, the officer on the scene Danny Borg felt strongly that two things seemed out of character. First the noose was poster boy perfect as if Frank was an expert, something no one collaborated. Then there was the weird numbers on his arm that mean nothing, at least to Borg.
First Response Unit Detective Mars Bahr decides to look into Beck's demise. Soon other similar deaths follow. Subsequently Mars learns that the digits left on each victim's arm is tied back to a Civil War regiment whose descendants are marked for murder. With the help of an army of genealogists, Mars tries to uncover the identity of a serial killer.
THE DEAD SURVIVORS is at its best when the story line glimpses into Mars' personal life such especially when he interacts with his son. That enables the audience to look deep inside the hero and see what he is made of. The sleuthing is fun, however, several subplots not only fail to return to the prime story line, but also are left dangling. Though not as good as THIRD PERSON SINGULAR, K.J. Erickson provides police procedural readers with a fine entry due to the likable lead character, but is he enough to merit a trip to Mars?
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Dead Survivors |
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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
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Big focus on autopsies
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
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:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
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
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 5-7
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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