1. “Full Circle”

2. “Full Circle”
Think about the mystery stories, either true or fiction, you have read or seen. What mystery television shows or movies do you enjoy? What do you think causes readers and viewers to enjoy stories of mystery and deception?
Create a cluster diagram in which you explore what draws people to mystery stories.

3. Appeal of Mystery Stories
“Full Circle”
Mystery Stories
Appeal of Mystery Stories

4. “Full Circle”

5. “Full Circle” Plot Sequence
The narrator, a private detective, witnesses a traffic accident in which a woman is killed …

6. “Full Circle” Plot Sequence
The narrator, a private detective, witnesses a traffic accident in which a woman is killed
The mother of the dead driver hires the narrator to investigate the death of her daughter.
The detective interviews various witnesses but learns little other than the dead woman had been stalked by a boyfriend.

7. “Full Circle” Plot Sequence
The detective eventually discovers that the boyfriend is the roommate’s brother and is the killer. …

8. “Full Circle” Plot Sequence
The detective eventually discovers that the boyfriend is the roommate’s brother and is the killer.
When the boyfriend sees the detective at his house, he panics and flees, leading the detective on a high speed chase.
The chase ends in an accident in which the boyfriend is killed in the same spot the woman was killed.

9. “Full Circle” Questions
How does Caroline Spurrier die?
Why are the police looking for the man in the blue pickup?
How does Kinsey Millhone find the killer?
What is ironic about the ending of the story?

10. “Full Circle” Questions
The story ends with the narrator saying: “We live in a world in which justice is skewed.” Explain what you think this “theme” statement means and how the story illustrates it.
At the beginning accident scene, Terry Layton, the driver of the pickup went to Caroline Spurrier’s car. Why do you think he did this?

11. “Full Circle” Questions
Do you think “Full Circle” is an appropriate title for this story? Why, or why not?
Return to your cluster diagram. Did this story meet the appealing characteristics you identified for mystery stories? Identify how specifically it did or did not.