Meeting the Dead: A Novel

40 Great Book Club Discussion Questions For Any Book

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I usually don't like children in books they are traditionally depicted as cliched brats, and tiresome to read , but Francis did a marvelous job of making the six sons in this novel individual and delightful. The hero's relationship with his wife was sad--I would've preferred something more romantic and loving, as the reader usually gets from Francis.

The evil Stratton family was pretty darned evil. Francis seems to have a habit of never involving the police in the nasty affairs of his plots, so not all of the bad guys receive a proper comeuppance. In this book, some of the Strattons got their just desserts, but others didn't, which is somewhat unsatisfactory. But everything, as usual, was well-depicted, and so this Francis novel is a win. I'm still thinking about it I have read all of Francis's novels--many probably 10 times. This novel is one of my favorites. Francis has both great talent and curiosity which combine in many novels to provide not just a great mystery with deft plot twists and strong characterizations for even minor characters, but the curiosity he has for so many different professions allows him to weave new worlds into that of racing.

I have gotten a taste for the artist's life, the glassblower's, the balloonist, a herbalist's and banker's, a toy inventor, and in this effortless-to-read combination of architecture and racing and Rogane, Francis has gifted us with another superb tail. The wistful longing Lee has for one of the minor characters who reminds him of his wife at the beginning of their romance is just as true as the engineering knowledge he offers the reader along the way.

The children which don't often appear in Francis's work are as individual as any of the more important characters and Lee's love and concern for his sons add a depth to his character that other books' main characters don't share because they aren't usually parents Francis is sorely missed but at least his novels live on I love every one of Dick Francis's novels. Some have seemed more interesting to me than others, but they all have what so few authors can match.

The protagonists are always interesting, highly intelligent, kind, and interested in doing what's right. This particular protagonist is a father of six boys and a tangential member of a highly dysfunctional family. The way he solves problems and works with various family members, while trying to find answers to tough questions, truly shows Francis's skill as a story teller. As long as I can find his books, I'll read them with exquisite pleasure. Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase. I own almost all the Dick Francis books.

I wish there was a Dick Francis collection that was available. I am in the process of trying to fill out my collection in "used" book stores to acquire the ones that are "out of print. I love the strong quiet men who always have great values and persevere against evil. Of all of his books, however, I think this is my favorite.

I love the fact that the hero is a serious, constructive and committed father. His interactions with his children are fabulous! One person found this helpful. Just read this again after a long hiatus. I wanted to remember what it was that the father had that the son lacks. It may be something as basic as the wrong editor!

Dick Francis was a master storyteller with impeccable research I believe the latter was thanks to his wife, Mary-who was also his editor: The cast of characters is marvelous: Each is fleshed out and unique; and each one playing an integral part in the story. I have read all of his books, but this one has always been my favorite and I have reread it numerous times. Though always about horse racing, this one concentrated on family, loving, caring, overbearing, evil and manipulative.

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It was two sides to a coin showing what a loving and caring father was like versus the infected diseased over wealthy family. I miss his books very much as there will never be another Dick Francis. One of his best.

The protagonist is a builder who resurrects decrepit buildings, and also the inheritor of a few shares in a racetrack. When the racetrack finds itself in trouble, the managers reach out to our hero to get involved and try to save it and their jobs. The most fun part of the book is that the hero has six sons and they all come with him on his mission to try to save the racetrack.

The plot is complex, the other characters, although a little stereotyped, are interesting, and the interaction among the protagonist and his sons is endearing. See all reviews.

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Set up a giveaway. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Pages with related products. See and discover other items: There's a problem loading this menu right now. Getting carried away by the physical attributes of her or explaining her dressing or walking or thinking would make the reader feel bored. You need to grab attention with your first five words.

You have a main protagonist and you wish to establish her in the very beginning of your story. How do you do this?

The Sunlight Pilgrims & The Dead Queen of Bohemia by Jenni Fagan – review

Well, easy, you drop her in a heart-throbbing and nerve-wrecking situation and show her best and worst sides to the reader. You can have your character trying to save the world or catch a serial murderer. She is standing in a room with the killer, alone. The killer has a gun.

How is she going to react? She is standing on a flight that is going to crash. Everyone on the flight is dead. How is she going to escape? Will she run towards the killer and take the shot? Will she wait until the flight is near the sea and then dives? What she does is of interest. But what is of more interest is how she thinks and arrives at the decision of what to do. That will bond your reader with your character.

What are the reasons that kept her there, in the room with the killer, or in the flight, are what the reader would read your novel to find out. In Bones in her Pocket , Kathy Reichs starts off with her main protagonist, Tempe Brennan, struggling to sit intact in a four-wheel-drive ATV, in a dense forest, going somewhere. It gives the reader a reason to go on.

Why did she come? Whose corpse is it? What will she do?

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What is the secret behind the corpse that is found in such a horrible location? The golden rule of Show. Do not tell holds true here. The character should speak through her actions. Of course you have to picture her thoughts as well. But there should be a balance. What your character does should be important and dangerous. You cannot show that your character is sitting in her home and watching TV or she is reading a newspaper in her garden. Then you are stuck between Method 1 and Method 2. Choose the best one.

Choose the best situation your character could be in, and in this context, the worst situation she could be in in her life is the best situation she could be in in your novel. Find Bones in her Pocket here. What are the stakes if your lead good characters do not solve the problem? It might be catching a serial killer who is on spree. It might be saving the world from Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter series. It might be keeping the ring safe in The Lord of the Rings series.

Beginning with the stakes always gives the reader the reason to continue reading. Your beginning might portray a crime scene, a dead body, a brutal murder, a secret lying hidden somewhere, or even better, the killer himself. You need to show what he is doing.

Planning to rob a bank? Plotting for an assassination? Whatever he is doing sets the stage for your plot upfront and shows the reader what is at stake. The bigger the crime is the bigger the expectations of your good character is. In The Silent Sound , the author starts with the killer dragging the body of a girl to dispose off. He had just finished his job and is taking away the body through the stairs out of his cabin. A twist is presented. Another girl is being held hostage in the basement where he had killed his victim and she sees everything he had done to her. Now, she knows that he would come back and do the same thing to her too.

Her fear and desire to live are beautifully portrayed. It is a brief beginning but it sets the stage for what to come. The reader clearly understands that this is going to be a serial murders case and the killer is not going to stop any time soon.

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He also wonders whether the second girl would die too. He expects a cop or a detective or someone to be extremely brilliant to catch this offender. And the author delivers it meeting all the expectations and satisfying the reader.

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