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| Plot Summary of Murder In A Mill Town |
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"
Berkley, July 2004, 6.30, 272 pp.
ISBN 0425197158
As a child she lived in the poor house until she met Duncan who took her out of there. Neither Duncan nor Nell Sweeney had enough money to live on his salary so she started picking pockets and became known as Cornelia Catpurse because she was so good at it. After Duncan was found guilty of theft and thrown in jail for thirty years wealthy Bostonian Viola Hewitt hired her to be a governess for her adopted daughter Gracie.
Viola asks Nell to find out where Bridget Fallon and her boyfriend Virgil are and because she loves her benefactor Nell agrees. Viola's son, Will, an opium and morphine addict who makes his living as a gambler helps Nell. When they find Bridget and Virgil, the pair has been dead for a few days, the victim of murder with the evidence pointing to Will's brother Harry. While trying to clear Harry, Will and Nell become captives of the perpetrator.
Nell is one of the strongest, most honorable and dearest heroines to grace the pages of an amateur sleuth novel. She doesn't let anyone stop her from doing what she believes is right even if it means putting herself in danger. She plays many roles and can fit in as the mistress of a mansion or a pick pocket, which makes it easy for all types of people to confide in her. The mystery is well constructed and the revelation of the killer will come as a shock to readers. P.B. Ryan knows how to write a tale that will grip and keep readers interest throughout the novel.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Murder In A Mill Town |
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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:
- 19th century
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
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
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- servant
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
- 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
- insanity
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
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
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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