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| Plot Summary of Garden of Thorns |
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"Mark Owen was excited that Hilary Chase had chosen to accept a position cataloguing the Coburg collecting in Fort Worth, TX, his hometown. They had met on a previous dig in Scotland (in Dust to Dust) and there was a definite attraction between the two. Mark was trying to take things slowly so that Hilary would not be frightened of physical intimacy and men in general. Hilary was trying to not be frightened of Mark and his need for a more physical relationship, but she still had not recovered from her rape years before. As Mark and Hilary try to sort out boundaries in their relationship, they also become more involved in the history of the Osborne House, where two women had mysteriously died in murders that were never solved. Mark was helping to supervise the dig and Hilary was cataloguing Coburg treasures, both of which had links in the past. But someone did not want them to delve any deeper into the past and would stop at nothing, not even murder, to keep the past buried...
Garden of Thorns was an entertaining gothic romance/mystery, but it was not of the same caliber as Ashes to Ashes or Dust to Dust, where we meet Mark and Hilary for the first time. I didn't really have any feelings for the main characters and so wasn't really rooting for them to get together, but didn't mind if they did. They mystery was really good, though. In fact, Carl is very good at having a main mystery and then filling in the gaps of the story with a lot of little sub plots and secondary characters that really make the book enjoyable. Also, Carl gives the reader some good background information on the Fort Worth area and educates the reader on archaeology and artifacts all without the reader even being aware that they are being taught, which is a nice side benefit. If you enjoy romantic mysteries, you will enjoy this one, but keep in mind that her other romantic mysteries are much better.
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Debbie, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Garden of Thorns |
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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 - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 50%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- solving long-past murder
- 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?
- theft/fraud investigation
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
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
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Lillian Stewart Carl Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Debbie
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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