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| Plot Summary of The Maltese Manuscript |
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"
Poisoned Pen Press, Feb 2003, 24.95, 266 pp.
ISBN 1590580397
She was brought up in a rough and tough neighborhood, got the valedictorian award taken away from her because she became pregnant but didn't let her past influence her future. Karen Pelletier went on to become an assistant English professor at ritzy Enfield College in Massachusetts. In the spring, she is going to give a talk at the mystery conference sponsored by the women studies group.
She is asked and reluctantly accepts hosting the guest of honor, best-selling author Sunnye Hardcastle and her Doberman Trouble. It is difficult for her to write the paper as the reference books were stolen from the library, as were many other valuable works. When the body of Bob Tooey is found in the stack Sunnye comes under suspicion because she was the last person who was seen talking to him but Karen, who by now thinks of the author as a friend, is convinced she is innocent. Karen and Sunnye sneak into the stacks one night after the library closes looking for clues and almost gets themselves killed.
Whoever thinks academics are peaceful gentle souls have not read one of Joanne Dobson's exciting academic mysteries. The protagonists is a very independent woman who will not be dissuaded once she decides on a course of action. THE MALTESE FALCON is the best work in this series because there are many smaller who-done-its that have to be solved so that the bigger mystery can be cracked open.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Maltese Manuscript |
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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 - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 80%
Murder of certain profession?
- students/teachers
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in that culture
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- search for valuable art/artifacts
- white collar fraud or theft
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- teacher
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- private investigator
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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