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| Plot Summary of The Night Calls |
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St. Martin's, Aug 2003, 24.95, 360 pp.
ISBN: 0312291043
In 1878 Arthur Conan Doyle studies medicine at the University of Edinburgh under the tutelage of Dr. Joseph Bell. However, Arthur particularly appreciates the deductive reasoning that his mentor brings to solving crimes by turning an investigation into a more scientific approach. Between his studies, the occasional detective work (see THE PATIENT'S EYES) and an intelligent female student, whom the professors treat with gender scorn, Arthur is able to somewhat put aside his family troubles.
However, the city is gripped with fear as a killer begins murdering women in brothels leaving behind strange clues such as neatly piled coins “paying” the fee perhaps. Bell believes a new type of culprit has surfaced. This is a clever individual with an obsession that leads him to most likely kill again. As the duo struggles to solve a case with an MO outside their normal methodology, Bell and Doyle try to invent a different approach still using deductive and inductive logic.
Doyle as a young man accompanied by his teacher are fun to follow while student Elspeth Scott provides more than a romantic interlude as the audience sees the disdain and prejudice the Victorian Era faculty and her peers bestow on her because of her gender. The historical look is fascinating as the reader observes Doyle before Holmes and Moriarty. However, unlike the first novel in this series, solving the mystery surprisingly is un-Holmes like especially in light of Bell recognizing a whole new category of homicide. Still David Pirie writes a solid tale, but not quite the par excellence of his previous book.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Night Calls |
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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%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 19th century
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Murder of certain profession?
- prostitutes/stripper/porn
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
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- power
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?
- 5-7
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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