Reader Project Presentation

By Mrcia Danielle Muniz dos Santos

 Title of the Book: Craigen Castle Mystery Author: Rod Smith

Genre: Mystery
Date of publication: 1997

About the book

The story happens in the gardens of Craigen Castle. According to the author, the castle is on an island in north-west Scotland. [...] Oposite the island on the mainland is the village of Onach (p. 7).

Main characters
Joan Roag: she is very rich because her first husband died and left to her much money. She is married with Edward and works with him in a company that makes clothes. She is very sick. Edward Sutton: it's Joan's husband and he is unsatisfied with her and plans during the story her death. Alan Cotmore: it's Edward's friend and he plans with him the death of Joan.

Central problem

Edward e Alan plan the death of Joan to get her money. Edward and Joan were to the Craigen Castle. Edward tells her the stories of the deaths occurred on the threes courtyards (a room with four walls open to the sky) to makes her sicker and scared.

Plot
Edward attracts Joan to out of the castle and tells her the story of the first courtyard (Fountain Courtyard Lord Douglas was left to die in 1937 in front of the fountain), the second (Courtyard of the Lost Bride in October 1486 a bride lost herself in this courtyard and her body was found years later locked in an iron chest) and the third (Coras Courtyard - Cora loved the Liz's husband and plans her death. Cora locked Liz in a trapdoor made of metal. According of the author, bellow it there is a ladder which goes down to a cave. Every few hours the sea comes in and the cave is completely filled with water p. 18). Ed locks Joan by herself in the courtyards and Alan disguises himself of the story's characters to scare her. She was trapped in the tower of the second courtyard and Ed saw her falling into the sea.

Plot
Thereafter, Edward meets Alan to celebrate in the trapdoor and discovers that Joan was alive and planned everything with Alan to kills Ed. They locked him on trapdoor.

Days later, two bodies of men are found by the police: the Ed's and Alan's. The policeman discovers that the story of the book was written by Ed while he waited for death and Alan was left to die of cold at the bottom of tower by Joan. Joan is, really, Cora Joan Hay and the third courtyard is named because of her. She manages to escape with the money and she never was found.

Conclusion
The book is a good reading. The language isnt so hard. I didnt have difficult and I didnt use dictionary. I learned some new words, for example:

Trapdoor: alapo (in Portugueses) Ladder: escada Soft: suave Archway: arco

I recomend the book because the author kept the suspense until the end.

Thank you for your attention!