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| Plot Summary of A Season for the Dead |
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Delacorte, Apr 2004, 21.95, 400 pp.
ISBN: 0385337221
Rome is stifling under the summer heat when a serial killer begins a spree that leaves the dead posing as a martyred victim of Roman Catholic Church excessive zeal. Detective partners Nic Costa and Luca Rosta finds few beneficial clues and not much cooperation from the Vatican hierarchy though the first deceased was found in a reading room on the premises.
However, their inquiries lead them to the professor of early Christianity Sara Farnese who witnessed the death in the reading room and may be the next target. Nic is immediately attracted to the beautiful academia though her past is shrouded and her sexual behavior seems mirthless and sad. As Nic and Luca dig deeper, the former wonders how the woman he is falling in love is linked to the high profile homicide case and what is her relationship is with dishonored Cardinal Michael Denney.
This is a special Italian police procedural that will intrigue readers due to the opposite pulls that yank at a beleaguered Nic. His reaction to Sara who at worst case may have committed murder and apparently at best sleeping with the sullied Cardinal fogs his brain while he and his partner try to do the right thing. His struggles make A SEASON FOR DEAD an interesting unique crime drama.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Season for the Dead |
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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?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 80%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, Foreign
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:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
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
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
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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