Genre
Historical Fiction/Thriller and Mystery
Setting and Context
West Point Academy in 1930
Narrator and Point of View
Told from the first-person perspective of Detective Landor.
Tone and Mood
The mood of the novel is tense, violent, historical, and inquisitive.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Gus Landor is the protagonist, whereas the mysterious murdered person is the antagonist
Major Conflict
After Poe and Landor team up, the major conflict of the book involves their attempt to determine who murdered everyone and ultimately, stop them.
Climax
The climax of the novel is when Poe and Landor determine who the killer is.
Foreshadowing
Landor picking Poe to be his assistant (over other people at West Point) is foreshadowed by their interactions.
Understatement
The intelligence of many of the West Point cadets is initially understated by Landor and the author.
Allusions
Although this is a work of historical fiction, there are allusions to real history and historical people. There are also allusions in the novel to the geography of West Point and its surrounding areas, as well as the religion of the time, and popular culture (as well as authors that contributed to it).
Imagery
With each progressive murder, the author incorporates more violent, cruel, complex, and intense imagery to illustrate the depravity of the murderer.
Paradox
Poe is a green cadet with no experience in investigation, yet Landor picks him to help with his murder investigation.
Parallelism
Each of the murders (how they were carried out, who carried them out, etc.) is paralleled with each other.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The United States Military Academy is known as West Point.
Personification
N/A
