| Plot Summary of Well Schooled in Murder |
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"
This is my favorite of the Elizabeth George novels. Inspector Thomas Lynley
of the Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) is called in to investigate the death of a school
boy, whose body has been discovered in a local churchyard. With Sergeant Barbara
Havers, he sets out, with kid gloves, to look into this delicate matter. The boy was a
student at a prestigious public school, one with all the old school ties, complete with the
pledges of undying loyalty and honor. It is up to the inspector to sort out who murdered
the boy and why his body was found in the churchyard, some distance away from the
school. Just as the institution is old and stuffy, secrets it houses are just as old and stuffy
and for Inspector Lynley, it takes all his faculties to close this case.
"
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
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"When 13-year-old Matthew Whately's body turns up tortured, nude and dead in a churchyard, Inspector Lynley enters the case because it crosses jurisdictions and an old school friend of his who teaches at Matthew's secluded and exclusive school asks for his help. The extremely involved and complicated plot involves teachers, students, a powerful journalist and benefactor to the school, premarital and extramarital sex, pornography, bullying, and pregnancies -- successful and less so. George spins a masterful tale, and her primary characters (Lynley, his beloved Helen Clyde who turned down his offer of marriage at the end of _Payment in Blood_ and fled to Greece, forensic scientist and friend Simon St. James, and his wife Deborah) develop more complexity and depth."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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"A young scholarship student at a high toned English boarding school is found murdered in a cemetery about an hour away from the school. He is naked and his body shows signs that he has been tortured. Inspector Lynley is called in to investigate. He finds it hard to get information about the murder at the school because of the student's notions of honor.
Suspects include an old schoolmate of Lynley's who is a house master at the school; three of the older students who may have been involved in bullying the younger students; a member of the school's board of governors who has recommended the scholarship student and some of the other staff members at the school. In the course of solving the case, Lynley must face up to his ideas about loyalty and honor."
Jack Goodstein, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Well Schooled in Murder |
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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 - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Murder of certain profession?
- students/teachers
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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