Yes, you walk through the Prologue and Book One and you know who will be dead by page 80.
Everyone hates Oliver.
Well, that's putting it too strong. There might be a few who don't hate him. Let's just say that when he comes up dead, many people breath a sigh of relief.
"Why I might be glad that Oliver is dead."
Daughter Miranda and Copy Editor Dennis. They were secret lovers and were discovered by Oliver the day before Oliver is found dead. Oh oh oh, Oliver was so enraged that he threatened to cut them both off entirely. "Threat" makes it sound like he would come 'round later. No, I think it was a promise to hurt them, dominate his daughter, throw Dennis out on his ear. Oliver's reaction was so out of bounds that we the readers know Oliver is unjust. Other than being a prick, I see from this vantage point no reason that Oliver should behave this way. Dennis suspected the reaction. Miranda did not. She is deeply hurt and confused. Both of these people are almost slaves to Oliver, they are so dependent on him. Bad place to be and vulnerable people often strike back.
Emily Holcombe. Oliver wants her cottage, lusts after her cottage. On the day before he is found dead, Oliver threatened to leverage his bequeath to the Island Trust in an attempt to kick Emily out. He also threatened to live on the island full time. This would be intolerable to Emily. At 80 years old and in good health, she wishes to live out her life on the island and foresees that this is a long time rather than a few short years to go. She is a powerful figure, personally powerful, confident. Powerful peoiple do not like to be bullied.
Attached to Emily's welfare is Roughtwood, her butler. From this vantage point he hasn't shown even a ruffle of distaste for Oliver but Roughtwood likes the setup as it is. Also, I always look carefully at characters with names that describe a condition or character trait. Rotting wood. Roughtwood is a quiet man and has little backstory to explain who he is -- except for a name that brings to mind a condition of decay hidden from view.
Rupert Maycroft. All the stresses of the island squeeze in on him. He suspects that he is not dong a good job of caretaking this island. He worries about his reputation and status with the trustees. He feels he is failing, or rather slipping into failure. Oliver's domination would send Maycroft off the island in disgrace -- at least Maycroft sees it that way.
Dr. Mark Yelland. We find that Oliver has written a novel, yet to be published, about an animal lab director who appears to be taken directly from Yelland's life. Ut oh. Yelland is stressed to the maximum with radical animal rights activist threats to the health and safety of his lab and his family. Wife is leaving and taking the kids because of it. A novel would just nail the coffin closed. Yelland confronts Oliver the evening at dinner before Oliver is found dead. Oliver's death will not cancel the publishing of the novel. So, why would Yelland kill Oliver? Also, note the name. Yelling. Mark Yelland is yelling but does he take action?
Jago Tamlyn. Hmmm. An unruffled character with no shown dislike of Oliver yet. Probably he doesn't hate Oliver. However. There are two ways on-and-off the island: helicopter and Jago's boat. Access holds power. Since we haven't been introduced to the helicopter pilot yet we must watch Mr. Jago. What a Cornish name. And every Cornish boatsman must be watched for illegal sources of income in this secluded and mysterious setting. An upset to the economy of the island might disrupt Jago's interests.
Access holds power! I just remembered that there is yet another way on the island: private yacht form France. Dr. Raimund Speidel came to the island on Wednesday via his private yacht from France. From France, now that is cause enough to suspect him of something underhanded and that he is a German just sets the picture straight of a person we cannot trust to be fair and just. Look at what the Germans did in Munich in '72. I can't find him in my notes. Where is the man and what is he doing?
Dr. Guy Staveley and his wife Joanna. Hmmmm. We are privy to a great deal of discussion of these two and their relationship but nothing is rising to the surface that puts them at tension with Oliver. At this vantage point there is little to set them in the "I hate Oliver" crowd. But Joanna, it seems, is privy to quite a bit of information about people. Information is power. The jacket cover mentions a second brutal killing. Also, Dr. Guy is on the island because a child died in his care. Untimely death is a rip in the fabric of society.
Adrian Boyde. Maycroft believes that he should keep Oliver and Boyde apart. Don't know why. Boyde is also a quiet man, privy to the finances of the island and the trust. Hmmmm. Knowledge is power. Powerful positions should always be watched especially when someone else will die and we don't know whom. Yet. Also Boyde went off on an alcoholic binge that sent him off the island. Joanna rescued him and brought him back to life, as it were. Why did Boyde fall off the wagon? What does Joanna know about the situation?
Poor Dan Padgett. Ah well. He was excoriated by Oliver for losing the blood specimen. Dan is a misfit, an underdog. I am always interested in the reactions of people when an arrogant, dominating person brutalizes a vulnerable person. One should look for two things: one, vulnerable people sometimes strike back like a domestic dog gone feral and two, observers of the brutality often strike against the attacker to put the world back in order.
Now let's talk about this blood specimen. What's that all about? Joanna took the blood specimen. Does she know something about Oliver's health? What pathology? Maycroft observes that Oliver's health seemed to have declined in the few days that he was on the island. Add this to the Midlands research laboratory and here is a third reference to health-and-illness. I believe that this his a clue to Oliver's behavior. He is crazed to have his way because he is ill and sees the end of his life approaching.
We see little of the housekeeper and the cook.
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