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| Plot Summary of Death and the Ice Box |
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"
Five Star, April 2003, 25.95, 248 pp.
ISBN 0786252332
Ogeechee, Georgia with its population of 3,412 is just right for Trudy Roundtree who returned home after the death of her husband. She is the only female police officer in Ogeechee. She visits friends clearing a dump when an old icebox flies open and the body of a dead woman is found stuffed inside.
The autopsy shows that a blow to the head murdered the victim at least twenty years ago. Trudy has no idea of the identity of the woman but as she looks at back issues of the Ogeechee Beacon she notices that in 1969 a Donnie Burkhalton died in an automobile accident. She later discovers that his fiancée dumped him and disappeared on the same day. Dental records show that Donnie's fiancée is the victim. Although the case is over three decades old, Trudy is determined to see justice done by catching a killer.
DEATH AND THE ICEBOX is a cozy police procedural that gives an accurate depiction of what life is like in a small southern town. The heroine is independent, upbeat and believes police work is her calling. The mystery itself is complex and intricately woven into the story line and there is a plethora of suspects but the stumbling block in figuring out who the killer is comes down to motive. Nobody, at least on the surface, had any reason to see the woman dead. So Trudy has to delve deeper and recreate events that happened years ago. Using people's unreliable memories, Linda Berry knows how to keep her readers' interested so that they finish the book in one sitting.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Death and the Ice Box |
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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
- 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?
- 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- solving long-past murder
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in small town
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30'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:
- Female
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- homemaker
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- jealousy
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Deep South
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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