The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino (#Review & #Summary)

Date of Reading: 6/5/2024

Author: Keigo Higashino

Translators: Alexander O. Smith & Elye J. Alexander

Publisher: Abacus

Publication Date: August 29, 2005

Rating: 4/5

About the book:

Yasuko lives a quiet life, working in a Tokyo bento shop, a good mother to her only child. But when her ex-husband appears at her door without warning one day, her comfortable world is shattered.

When Detective Kusanagi of the Tokyo Police tries to piece together the events of that day, he finds himself confronted by the most puzzling, mysterious circumstances he has ever investigated. Nothing quite makes sense, and it will take a genius to understand the genius behind this particular crime...

Review:

        This book has been on my TBR for quite some time, so I can't recall who originally recommended it to me. Whoever that may be, I am grateful for the suggestion. Just after reading a few pages, the story had me enraptured and the tension only continued to build as I delved further. 

      This is not your typical detective story; in all honesty, it may be more accurately described as a crime thriller.  If you are familiar with 'Drishyam', one of the most popular Malayalam thriller movies, you can almost anticipate where the story is headed. Since the book was written way before the film, we could see where the movie drew its inspiration from. 

        It is always a challenge to write a review on a crime thriller without spilling any of the key plot points. Safe to say, the identity of the killer is disclosed to us from the beginning. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game where I didn't really side with the police. I must confess, I did have a peek at the ending to avoid any disappointment. Unfortunately, my worst fears came true. I didn't like that ending and hence four stars. But considering the way the story has progressed, I guess that would have been the only conclusion ethically possible.

        Still, contemporary readers must have shared my sentiments as is evident from the conclusion of the Hindi movie adaptation 'Jaane Jaan'. 'Drishyam' too seems to concur with this idea, even though it follows a totally different storyline.

       I nearly forgot to mention the romantic element. Ishigami is the embodiment of selfless love, if there is one. I don't know whom the author intended as the hero here, but it is hard to win against such a dedicated character. Suffice it to say, this story is going to stay with me for a long long time.

Summary:

      Tetsuya Ishigami is a mathematics teacher with keen observation skills. The story begins with his daily routine which also includes his visit to a small shop selling boxed lunches. Despite harboring feelings for the woman who works there, Yasuko Hanaoka, he lacks the confidence to confess his love. Unbeknownst to Yasuko, Ishigami's admiration for her runs deep.

       Yasuko's seemingly tranquil life is disrupted by the sudden reappearance of her abusive ex-husband Shinji Togashi. He tries to extort money from her and when the situation escalates to domestic violence, Yasuko and her daughter Misato kill him in self-defense. Ishigami, who lives in the nearby apartment hears the commotion and helps both of them to dispose of the body. He gives them specific instructions to follow to cover up the crime.

Source: https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/higashino-2011-devotion-of-suspect.html

       Detective Kusanagi is assigned to this case. Though he cannot find any obvious flaws with Yasuko's alibi, his intuition tells him that there is more to the case than meets the eye. He seeks the help of his friend, Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist, to solve this mystery. Yukawa is familiar with Ishinagi since they went to the same college. He has always admired Ishigami's intelligence and wonders how he ended up as a school teacher. As they reunite Yukawa is finally convinced that Ishigami has something to do with the murder. Ishigami's secret love doesn't escape his discerning eye.

      As Yukawa unravels Ishigami's intricate plan to deceive the police, Ishigami realises he has met his match. To protect Yasuko, he takes the blame for killing Togashi and surrenders to the police. Ishigami had attempted to commit suicide once, but it was interrupted when Yasuko came to introduce herself as his new neighbour. Since then he has always felt indebted to her and he feels that his selfless act will ensure a secure life for Yasuko.

       Yukawa, however, refuses to accept this outcome. He realises that Ishigami had killed an innocent homeless man and staged the crime scene to make it look like Togashi. This way Yasuko and Misato can provide a perfect alibi as this second murder occurred one day after Togashi's death. Yukawa reveals the truth to Yasuko. Unable to bear the guilt, she and her daughter confess their crime and decide to share the punishment with Ishigami.

Meet the author:

Keigo Higashino (東野 圭吾) is one of the most popular and biggest-selling fiction authors in Japan—as well-known as James Patterson, Dean Koontz or Tom Clancy in the USA.

Born in Osaka, he started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co.　(presently DENSO). He won the Edogawa Rampo Prize, which is awarded annually to the finest mystery work, in 1985 for the novel Hōkago (After School) at age 27. Subsequently, he quit his job and started a career as a writer in Tokyo.

In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Inc award for the novel Himitsu (The Secret), which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical under the title Naoko in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for Yōgisha X no Kenshin. His novels had been nominated five times before winning with this novel.

The Devotion of Suspect X was the second highest-selling book in all of Japan— fiction or nonfiction—the year it was published, with over 800,000 copies sold. It won the prestigious Naoki Prize for Best Novel— the Japanese equivalent of the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize. Made into a motion picture in Japan, The Devotion of Suspect X spent 4 weeks at the top of the box office and was the third highest‐grossing film of the year.

The Red Palace - June Hur (Review)

Date of Reading: 11/02/2022

Author: June Hur

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: January 25, 2022

Rating: 5/5

About the book: 

Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father's approval.

But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon's closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher's innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.

In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.

Review:

        Crime mysteries are not really my go-to genre, but this one grabbed my attention with its Korean setting. The story gives the feeling of walking straight into a K drama world and the historical elements just add to the sheen. Rest assured, my knowledge of Korean history is practically zero, but that is not a hurdle at all.

        Still, I was not without reservations. Can I really enjoy a historical mystery set in a time sans mobile phones and DNA tests? That too when the protagonist is no martial artist. Well, palace nurse Hyeon has proved that swords are not always necessary to protect oneself and our loved ones. The ending was unexpected (I was never really this bad in the guessing game, sigh!) and it left me reeling in the realisation that I am biased towards my own gender.

        The author hasn't skipped the romance part instead, it progresses and merges so beautifully with the main story that you are left enthralled. Hyeon and Eojin possess the wits of a different era and one may wonder whether both are transmigrated from the modern age. More than a mystery, the novel deftly gives us a glimpse of a bygone era that has its drawbacks along with its glory.

        One of the major victims of this era is definitely the crown prince. Prince Sado might not be a familiar figure to those of us who are strangers to Korean history, and I must confess to spending some hours digging up his story. As the author's note clearly states at the end, it is not easy to judge him and I am happy June Hur has chosen to portray him sympathetically.  

        It won't be an exaggeration to say that this is one of the best stories I have chanced upon at the beginning of this year. 2022 has much to look forward to!

Meet the author:

June Hur is the bestselling author of YA historical mysteries The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, and The Red Palace. In addition to being nominated twice for the prestigious Edgar Awards, she’s been featured on Forbes, NPR, and the CBC. Her fourth novel A Crane Among Wolves comes out in 2024. Born in South Korea and raised in Canada, she studied History and Literature at the University of Toronto. She currently lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk

Date of Reading: 18/03/2008

Author: Orhan Pamuk

Publisher: Vintage

Place: USA

Year: 2002

           Excepting 'Snow' , this is my favourite novel of Pamuk. The style is unique as expected of Pamuk, giving us the views of each character (even that of the murderer which contains the clues of guessing him) and  without knowing we are transported to the splendour and religious intrigue of sixteenth century Istanbul.

          Throughout the book the narration is in first person with chapter headings like 'I am a Corpse', 'I am Called Black', 'I am a Dog' etc. The beginning chapters could be a bit confusing, but once you get the hang of it, nothing will stop you from reading this splendid work. An author is in a sense a preserver, and Pamuk does pickle up Istanbul's treasured past and memories.

         Story begins with the speech of a corpse who introduces himself as Elegant Effendi, a miniaturist whose body decays at the bottom of a well. He requests to find his  murderer and bury his body.

         Black Effendi, the protagonist, returns to Istanbul after twelve years on the request of his uncle Enishte Effendi, to complete the book of pictures he is working on. Black has fallen in love with his uncle's beautiful daughter Shekure and in a way this has caused his exile at the age of 24. Shekure later marries a soldier but nothing is heard of him these four years. Her brother-in-law has an eye on Shekure and so she is living in her father's house along with her two sons -- Shevket and Orhan.

         On this return Black is determined to marry Shekure, but his uncle has other concerns. Sultan had commissioned him to prepare a great book of pictures celebrating the glories of his realm, in Frank (European) style. As figurative art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this is a delicate task; Islam allows to portray a picture as Allah sees it to be.
          Murder of Elegant has increased the complications. Enishte is confident that one of the master miniaturists -- Butterfly, Stork, Olive -- is the real culprit. Task is now handed over to Black. Later Enishte also gets murdered. As it may force Shekure to return to her husband's family, they conceal the death until she procures a divorce and marry Black. After that the death is announced as a normal one. Black confesses everything to Sultan's treasurer and Sultan allows him three days to find the murderer.

         Master Osman, the head miniaturist identifies the picture of a horse found from the body of Elegant as Olive's. Olive tries to escape to Hindustan but on the way Hasan mistakes him as a friend of Black's and kills him. After 24 years of contented married life, Black passes away and his widow hands over the details to Orhan for his book.
         

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco

Date of Reading: 31/08/2012

Author: Umberto Eco

Translated by: William Weaver (from Italian)

Publisher: Warner Books

Place: San Diego

Year: 1980

          Once I had to face an exam which they said the most important in my life, and consequently the serious faces around made me panic. So now when I read this book I know what Jorge (the villain here) says about the second book of Aristotle which is said to be dealing with comedy is true. Laughter can dispel fear, it may change everything (possibly the outcome of my exam too, which was by the way, disastrous).

         Detective novels are usually considered by the so-called scholars as not worth reading and so not in anyone's academic curriculum. But here Umberto Eco has succeeded in producing a scholarly work within the frame work of crime fiction. All these facts about the Dark Ages of the Catholic Church is pretended to be non-existent, so a common reader will have to struggle hard to make some sense of this religious dilemma. So what keeps the pace is the frame story, the seven murders and the mystery pursued by William, the follower of Roger Bacon (a monk who upholds scientific belief is a strange combination indeed!), who reminds us often of Sherlock Holmes.

          The year is 1327. Adso a young novice of the Benedictine order is placed under William of Baskerville as a scribe and disciple by his parents. Church is going through what we now call the dark ages; Pope John XXII presides over Avignon and is in conflict with Emperor Louis. Factions are arising, condemning the Pope and is consequently burned as heretics by inquisition committees.

        Pope is now turned against the Franciscan order too, as they proclaim their faith in the doctrine of poverty of Christ. So William, an English man and Franciscan is to find a suitable place for the meeting between the leaders of the Franciscan order and the envoys of the Pope. As per this intention they travel to this distant abbey where terrible events are to take place in seven days.

         Adso's memoir is divided into seven days describing everything in detail. By the time they reach the abbey the death of the first man - Adelmo - has already taken place and William as a former Inquisitor is charged with the enquiry by the abbot. Secret seems to lie within the library which functions as a labirynth and is forbidden to the free roaming of others. Two more deaths follow - Venatius and Berengar - and the meeting of the envoys convene under the shadow of these recent events. Soon the herbalist, Severinus is also killed and the cellarer and his companion is mistaken for the crime. The meeting ends in vain.

         The death of Malachi, the librarian clears the mist and William succeeds in finding the clue to enter the secret place in the library, named finis Africae. Abbot becomes the sixth victim and William and Adso finds Jorge, the old blind monk, in the finis Africae. The brain behind the murders is discovered at last. He was preventing the second book of Aristotle which deals with comedy to come to the public eye.

          The book enhances the virtues of laughter, its power to quench fear and consequently Jorge feared that it could ruin the power of Church as it governs on fear. So he hides it all these years, but when the young people with their lust for knowledge, begin to search for finis Africae, he smears the book in poison and all who read it got killed. Only Adelmo's death was a suicide as a result of his sinning with Berengar.

         When he fails to convince (or kill) William, Jorge tears the pages and gulps it down. In the fight that ensued, a lamp is toppled over, the library catches fire and soon it spread to the whole abbey. All the deaths that occurred had corresponded to the signs warning the arrival of Antichrist which was only a coincidence. But as William says towards the end, we see the Antichrist in Jorge, "the Antichrist can be born from piety itself, from excessive love of God or of the truth, as the heretic is born from the saint and the possessed from the seer".


Umberto Eco

          William and Adso parts ways never to see each other again. Adso returns to the monastery at Melk where he writes down this manuscript as an old man. William, it is informed that, dies in the great plague.

Something to think about:
          
"The idea is sign of things, and the image is sign of the idea, sign of a sign".

"The good of a book lies in its being read. A book is made up of signs that speak of other signs, which in their turn speak of things. Without an eye to read them, a book contains signs that produce no concepts; therefore it is dumb".

"A dream is a scripture, and many scriptures are nothing but dreams".

--- the book is made into a film in 1986 starring Sean Connery as William and Christian Slater as Adso

--- the title is said to be neutral, nothing related to the story 

         

         

Messenger of Truth - Jacqueline Winspear

Date of Reading: 24/8/2007

Author: Jacqueline Winspear

Publisher: Readers Digest (Selected Editions)

Place: Australia

Year: 2007

           This is the fourth book of the famous Maisie Dobbs series, a fact I was completely unaware at the time of reading. To make the matters worse this ubridged version has put out the flavours of the original and I actually thought it a waste of time. But a judgement is not possible without reading the original, and so I won't venture it.

          Maisie Dobbs series is much more than a mere detective story or so I have been told. The recurring theme is the effects of  the World War I in the British society, and here the focus is the Depression era - the 1930's.

           A controversial artist, Nick Bassington - Hope has been found dead on the eve of his eagerly awaited new exhibition, and it's Maisie's job to discover why. Police considers this as an accident, but his twin sister Georgina doubts a foul play and seeks the help of Maisie.

          Nick has participated in the World War I and is a witness to the death of Godfrey, his sister Nolly's husband. For Nolly, he is a war hero; the truth is to be revealed in the exhibition with one of Nick's pictures. So it turns out that their father Piers killed his own son to prevent the picture from coming out. Godfrey was killed and humiliated by his own soldiers for showing friendliness to a German soldier. Piers knew that the truth will break his daughter's heart. 

Third Girl

Date of Reading: 09/06/2007

Author: Agatha Christie

Publisher: Collins

Place: Great Britain

Year: 1966

Summary:

          Hercule Poirote's breakfast is interrupted by a dishevelled girl who announces that she may have committed a murder; but appalled by his age, she leaves with her story untold. His detective novelist friend Mrs. Aridane Oliver collects the details. She is Norma Restarick, a third girl ie, she shares the flat with two other girls in 67 Borodene Mansions. Her companions are Claudia Reece Holland and Frances Cary.

          Norma's father Andrew Restarick has left the country with his lover Louise Birell; this worsened the relation between him and Norma's mother. Louise broke the relationship after a year. With the chunks of money that he has made abroad, Andrew returns to London when his brother Simon dies. He has another wife now - Mary. Norma's mother was dead and the stepmother is not in her taste. She is even accused of poisoning Mary.

           Poirot meets Norma's boyfriend David Baker and also comes to know the suicide of Louise Charpentier in the same flat; he suspects this as a murder. Norma is put under the care of Dr. Stillingfleet who finds out that she is being given drugs without her knowledge. She leaves the place without warning and the news comes that she has killed David.

          Poirot intervenes, unfolds the mystery and Norma is saved. Andrew Restarick was dead and the impostor is Robert Orwell; only Louise who has known Andrew well is not fooled by the act. They kill her Mary also murders David who was their helper turned blackmailer. Mary was none other than Frances Cary, the flatmate. She has given Norma drugs to put the murder charges on her head. Dr. Stillingfleet marries Norma.

Rating: Good

Comment:

          Sorry, its hard to love Poirot after reading Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps my choice was bad; feel free to suggest a nice work of Christie.

--- novel is noted for being the first in many years in which Poirot is more or less present from beginning to end.

--- book is dedicated to Nora Blackborow.

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HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS

Jacquot and the Angel

Date of Reading: 31/05/2007

Author: Martin O' Brien

Publisher: Readers Digest (selected editions)

Place: Australia

Year: 2006

Summary:

Crime 1 : Martner family including Dr. Martner and his wife, their daughter Ilse, her daughter Kippi are murdered in their own house.

Crime 2 : Gilles de Vausigne and his lover Grace Bartolome are killed in a fire. Her husband Guy Bartolome is found dead in his home.

          Daniel Jacquot, the chief inspector takes the case. Marie - Ange Buhl, a psychic girl who can hear voices is his helper. What they uncover is a secret that goes back more than half a century.

          During the war between France and Germany in 1944, Dr. Martner a German doctor was posted in France. Comte de Vausigne's son Albert is in the French defence force; he is loved by two women -- Helene and Sandrine. Helene who later marries Gilles de Vausigne, the step son is disappointed as Albert loves Sandrine. To destroy Sandrine, she secretly transmits the French plans to Germans but fails to keep Albert by her side on that day. Albert is killed and Sandrine escapes.

          Dr. Martner who is aware of this treachery uses the opportunity well to blackmail her. Being tired of this pest, her son Antonine kills the Martners. Helene has come to know of her husband's relationship with Mrs. Bartolome and their decision to marry soon. So she kills them both and also Mr. Bartolome to cover up everything.

Rating: Good

Comment:

           The reference to 'Angel' in the title is a little misleading as I thought the story concerned with some supernatural beings. On the whole this is an OK book.

--- books in Jacquot series:

1) Jacquot and the Waterman (2005)

2) Jacquot and the Master (2007)

3) Jacquot and the Angel (2005)

4) Jacquot and the Fifteen (2007)

5) Confession (2009)

6) Blood Counts (2010)

7) The Dying Minutes (2012)

          

Godplayer

Date of Reading: 26/03/2007

Author: Robin Cook

Publisher: Rupa & Co

Place: Calcutta

Year: 1983

Brief Summary:

         Bruce Wilkinson dies in the Boston Memorial Hospital after a cardiac surgery. Cassandra Kingsley, a psychiatrist and her friend Robert Seibert who works in pathology, suspects this as a murder and begins to pursue the mystery. Robert is killed after they find out the presence of Sodium Fluoride in the IV bottle and Cassandra escapes narrowly from the two attempts on her.

        Finally the villain is turned out to be Thomas Kingsley, Cassandra's husband and the major cardiac surgeon in the hospital. He is addicted to the thrill of performing delicate operations and killed the victims (there were 18 of them) to make free the beds for other patients. Thomas dies in the final struggle.

Rating: Good

Tell Me Your Dreams

Date of Reading: 14/11/2006

Author: Sidney Sheldon

Publisher: Harper Collins

Place: London

Year: 1998

Summary:

          Work is based on actual events and the incidents revolve around Ashley Patterson, the daughter of the well known surgeon Steven Peterson. Her co-workers are Toni Prescott, an outgoing singer and dancer, and Alette Peters, a shy artist; they do not get along well.

          Ashley fears that somebody is following her, trying to kill her. She even requests a police escort, but the next morning, the police officer assigned to duty is found dead. Two other murders have already taken place, with an identical pattern. All the murdered men had been castrated and were having sex before being murdered. Ashley is arrested for committing these and her father persuades David, an attorney who owes him to argue the case on her behalf. This, in a way, changes his life too.

         David finds through hypnotising that Ashley suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) and the twist in the story comes when Toni and Alette are proven to be her alter persons who in fact is responsible for the murders. She is sent to Dr. Keller for treatment and David on winning the case decides to take criminal law again.

          Ashley's disease turns out to be the result of being molested by her own father during childhood. She gets cured and re-enter the world outside.

Rating: Splendid

Comment:

         You will never forget MPD after reading this, and always will be intrigued by it.

--- Thanks to Roshni who recommended this book to me, who I am sure is reading this.

 

Come Up and Be Dead

Date of Reading: 08/11/2006

Author: Shashi Despande

Publisher: Dronequill

Place: Bangalore

Year: 2003

Summary:

          Kshama is a school mistress and she lives in the school house with cousin Devayani (Devi) and brother Pratap. Terrifying events in the story begins with the suicide of Mridula, a student. From her friend Sona, Devi comes to know that Mridula was pregnant. Pratap was one of her boyfriends and is intrigued with the matter. He has had a mental breakdown before and is now under the care of Dr. Girish.

          Soon Pratap is found fallen from a ladder in the garden; he dies in the hospital. Devi suspects it as a murder and together with Girish, she finds a piece of paper containing strange words from Pratap's table. Sona's mother, Mrs. Raman was the next victim; Inspector Prasad comes to investigate the murder and he gets the details of other murders from Devi.

          Sharmila, a friend of Sona, warns Devi that Sona is in danger and that night Sharmila gets seriously injured. Next day when Devi goes to a film, she notices the name of a movie in Pratap's paper; she hurries to inform the Inspector. Since Girish was there, he offers to take her in his car.

          Devi has fallen into the trap which she soon realises. Girish is the real villain. Sanjay was responsible for the pregnancy of Mridula and he killed Pratap with the help of Girish. Mrs. Raman was murdered as she came to know something of this. Sharmila intervened when he attempted to kill Sona too. The real brain of the incidents was Mr. Varma, a billionaire in the town, who has used virgin girls for prostitution.

          Inspector arrives just in time to save Devi and the criminals are arrested.

Rating: Not Bad

Comment:

            Dont waste ur time reading this - not good as it sounds. Cover page is really good, we will be tempted.

         

Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Date of Reading: 21/09/2006

Author: Agatha Christie

Publisher: Fontana/Collins

Year: 1938

Summary:

           Mr. Simeon Lee is seen murdered in his own house on 24th of December and his diamonds are stolen. Superindent of Police - Mr. Sugden - is in charge of the case. Colonel Johnson is also informed  and Poirot comes to help him.

          There are Alfred, George, David and Harry, the sons of the murdered man, and Lydia, Magdelena, Hilda their wives, Pilar his grand daughter and Robert Farr, his partner's son present in the crime scenario. On questioning it turns out that Robert is Mr. Lee's illegitimate son and the lady who acted as Pilar is not the real Pilar. But they are innocent about the murder.

         Finally the turning point comes when Sugden, the Superindent is revealed as the real culprit. He was also the illegitimate son of Lee and the murder was his revenge. He has put the diamonds in Lydia's garden to redirect the case.

Rating: Good

Comment:

         Story is dull at the beginning but later turns out OK. I am not an Agatha Christie fan, but if u are one please suggest me some gud buks.



Morality for Beautiful Girls

Date of Reading: 17/09/2006

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: Anchor Books

Place: New York

Year: 2002

Summary:

          This is the third book in the twelve series of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency . Precious Ramotswe, founder and owner of Botswana's only detective agency for the "concerns of both ladies and others" , investigates the alleged poisoning of the brother of an important Government Man. He suspects his brother's wife but Ramotswe's investigation proves her innocent and finds the real culprit, the unsatisfied cook.

         During this time another case comes up. Due to the absence of Mma Ramotswe, her assistant Mma Makutsi takes the case. Her duty is to find out the moral character of the four finalists in the Miss Beauty and Integrity Contest. Her success solves some of the financial problems of the firm. Ramotswe also treats her fiance J.L.B. Mateboni's depression and all ends well.

Rating: Not Bad

The Lines I Like:

          "If the mothers allowed the boys to think that they were special then that encouraged boys to develop attitudes which never left them. If young boys were to allowed to think that women were there to look after them, then they would continue to think this when they grew up and it would made them so immature in their treatment of women".

          "It is sometimes easier to be happy if you dont know everything".

--- there is a film adaptation of the book.
--- Author is Scottish.

Nancy Drew: The Mystery in Tornado Alley

Date of Reading: 28/08/2006

Author: Carolyn Keene

Publisher: Pocket Books

Place: New York

Summary:

          When Hannah Gruetn, the maid of Drew family, inherits a farm from a distant cousin, Nancy Drew and her father with Bess and George drive off for a scenic Oklahoma vacation. The plan is to sell off the property and pack up whatever momentos Hannah wants to keep. But a terrifying encounter with a tornado is just the beginning of the trouble.

          In a duffel bag Nancy discovers what looks like a ransom note and a man named Jimmy Boyd appears insisting that the bag is his. Nancy suspects him as the kidnapper. She contacts the local police but they laughs it off as a prank. When charming Derek Owens, a tornado chaser at the local university, offers to help Nancy accepts faster than a lighting flash. But later he turns out to be the real villain and he tries to kill her by putting her in the midst of a terrible tornado. Nancy escapes and Derek gets killed in it.

          Hannah gives the farm to Jimmy and he marries Mary, his lover. Drew family wished them a happy life and returned home.

Rating: Not bad