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Over and Under
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Plot Summary of Over and Under
"

Five Star, Jul 2004, 25.95
ISBN: 1410401863

In Cowden, England, at the annual cricket match between the comedians and the writers, someone kills Frank Lester. Though an accountant, Frank was a big fan of comedy so he joined that squad for the match. Detective Constable Frank Mitchell leads the inquiries until his superior Detective Inspector Don Parkham arrives at the scene.

The two cops learn that the murder weapon is a baseball bat, which frustrates Don as no one except Marilyn Monroe's ex-husband plays that sport until you reach Massachusetts or is it Maine. It just does not seem cricket to Don that an American sports item was used. As the police dig deeper, they find a host of suspects from both teams, but none with a clear motive to swing the bat at a fandom accountant.

This amusing British police procedural at times will sound like Abbot and Costello having one of their famous dissertations as the story line never fully takes itself seriously yet provides a fine investigative tale. The two cops are a delight to observe in action as they misunderstand one another yet work together to solve the case. The climax sums up the book nicely as Don insures that Frank's two-year son has the proper equipment of cricket not that foreign game with bats that make it impossible to miss the ball.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Over and Under
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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 - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
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? - 70%
Kind of investigator - police procedural, British
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - sports
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? - 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: - business executive
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: - England/UK

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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Mat Coward Resident Scholar Profiles

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Harriet Klausner  

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