TITLE: The Resurrectionist
GENRE: YA Historical Thriller
18 year old Calvin will stop at nothing to make a name for himself in the medical world, but the deeper he delves into the seedy underworld of body snatching, the more he learns he's not in it just to help people. Set in 1890s America.
Cal has just killed the leader of the body snatching gang, a doctor, that Cal's a part of. He forged a letter of recommendation from the dead doctor for medical school and the dean of the school is pretty much ready to accept him. People in the local medical community are talking about the apparent "suicide" and Cal is gloating.
Where I'm stuck is I want the man's death to be written off as a suicide, so he's think's he's scot free and can make some more serious mistakes down the line and the cops get involved. But there needs to be some sort of external conflict/pressure, maybe within the gang (or a rival)? It's four guys, who all get along pretty well, but now the dynamics have to change. One other guy is doing it for the medical reasons, the other two are just doing it for the money.
Miss Snark's First Victim
Perhaps your doctor gang leader is a surgeon? The "suicide" might coincide with him botching a surgery and the patient dies. He can't live with himself for letting the life of a young woman end at his hand. Timing is everything!
ReplyDeleteAssuming the leader is a surgeon, perhaps he discovers that the recent body was murdered by Cal. (political - Ellis Island opened 1892, murder vic is an immigrant hate crime; scientific - alternating electric current & founding of GE murder for sadistic research; romantic - Cal's lover,daughter of the med school dean, finds out he forged the rec letter; simple Dexter type personality of Cal; oh. If located Chicago in 1893's world fair, there are lots of fun stuff to use.) To bastardize Shakespeare, "Get thee to thy backstory!" Cal's backstory will present the 'external force.'
ReplyDeleteFun game! Will play more after work.
I like the idea of Chicago World's Fair, especially because of H.H. Holmes. I didn't have a setting picked out, but that might work well! Prior to this first murder, he got the thrill from dissection (there's your backstory!). But actively stalking and killing people he wants to "study" in the dissection lab (which was already in the plot cards), it might be his sick way of getting ready to show off his new discovery.
DeleteIs Cal set to take over the gang on the death of the former leader? Would it be skating too close for your plot if one of the other members accused him of murder (even though he truly believed it was suicide) because he is jealous and wants the leadership place himself? Or maybe accuse him of driving the Dr to commit suicide.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fascinating story, and I'd love to read it.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, the dynamics within the gang have to change, which sets up external conflict nicely. Who's the new leader? Is it Calvin or perhaps someone with a financial motive rather than medical? Maybe Calvin becomes the new leader, but one of the men who is only motivated by greed doesn't like Calvin's direction as the leader and plots to take Calvin down in some way.
Thanks :D
DeleteOoh, disagreement over direction! I like that. The new leader would not be Calvin - he's the youngest. It'd be another guy (Winston), who's doing it for the money, and already something like the leader between the four men. It'd be easy for Winston to try to sell off bodies to the highest bidder when Calvin wants either a body for himself to study, or to go to someone who's on the cusp of a discovery.
Is he a prominent man in society as it would come off as a shock? Does he have kids? Would this death move up in his gang? If it is just some ordinary guy(doctor), it might not have the same punch.
ReplyDeleteI like a power struggle between the remaining members of the group. Maybe even a conflict where the protagonist wants to stop body snatching for awhile (go on to school and study, like you suggested) but the others feel like he needs to stay?
ReplyDeleteWhat if the 2 guys who are in it for the money both want to be the new leader, and one of them knows Cal forged the letter and uses it as leverage to get Cal to back him?
ReplyDeleteIf one of the gang members became overly greedy and saw Cal as a potential "Cash Cow" if he becomes famous and trusted in the medical community. The member could blackmail Cal with his "knowledge" of what really happened to the doctor.
ReplyDeleteA power struggle now that the (dead) leader is gone could be a good source of tension.
ReplyDeletePower vacuums and all that.
What if Cal is proud of himself for the way he pulled off the murder to look like a suicide, but doesn't like the fact that he can't tell anyone how clever he was (that would seem to be consistent with his personality). Maybe he starts dropping hints about what he did or threatens one of the others who crosses him about something--kind of with the suggestion that another suicide might be in order.
ReplyDeleteThen maybe one of the others--the guy into body snatching for the medical side of it--starts talking about going to the authorities. That could trigger Cal to kill again (which I assume he does since you say he makes some serious mistake down the line).
Huh, this is interesting. I've had this exact thought (that he wants to share his cleverness with others), most serial killers want that attention. Never quite figured out the right angle. But the other person -- the other medical guy-- he's having an affair with Cal/Cal is in love with him. They weren't going to end up together anyways (the guy is engaged to a woman - social pressures of the time are too strong).
DeleteThat would make for some really interesting conflict. I will definitely be hanging on to this, think it over. Thanks!
Huh, this is interesting. I've had this exact thought (that he wants to share his cleverness with others), most serial killers want that attention. Never quite figured out the right angle. But the other person -- the other medical guy-- he's having an affair with Cal/Cal is in love with him. They weren't going to end up together anyways (the guy is engaged to a woman - social pressures of the time are too strong).
DeleteThat would make for some really interesting conflict. I will definitely be hanging on to this, think it over. Thanks!
I think his jeopardy should come from the most unlikely source. Someone he is in love with. Perhaps, someone he thinks he controls as absolutely as he does the dead bodies. A love interest that also threatens him could be good for the narrative -i.e he is so arrogant in his belief that he has covered all the bases but the only weakness he has is that the last person he thought would know what he was up to pops into the story - or better yet, was always there and now become threatening. So will she become an ally or another cadaver for him to examine/sell? Hmmmm>
ReplyDeleteI imagine the dynamics in the gang have changed simply by virtue of their leader dying. Even if all members agreed to the death or think it was suicide like Cal wants them to, there's now a power vacuum. Who will lead now? Is there going to be a fight? And what about the essential functions of a leader: instilling trust, coming up with ideas. If the members of the gang don't trust their new leader to be as competent, the gang might tip toward disbanding.
ReplyDelete