To get involved with the case of Little Lucy, Liz suggests pretending to accidentally bump into Marisa in Dorset, and have Marisa invite her to tag along with her and DI Jones (p.19). What did you think of this plan?

To get involved with the case of Little Lucy, Liz suggests pretending to accidentally bump into Marisa in Dorset, and have Marisa invite her to tag along with her and DI Jones (p.19). What did you think of this plan?

I think it’s not super believable, but given the year in which the story occurred it’s not as much of a problem. It was a different time when you could knock on a door and people would invite you into their homes and answer your questions. People were more polite and proper.

I thought it was a pretty good idea and it did work out for Liz.

The plan was worth a try. It was not so unbelievable that this might happen. There might be suspicions but not worth making a big deal over.

I do not think Marisa was very happy about the plan! And Jones certainly was not happy having her tag along. However it did work for Liz.

I think Liz put Marisa in a tough position when she proposed this somewhat crazy idea. I believe Marisa went along with it reluctantly. I would think an Inspector would have had a problem with it. Especially, DI Jones because he’s a chauvinist and misogynist.

Liz was certainly depressed about her employment at her newspaper. She
was a true journalist, however, and could sniff a possible story in the wind if she joined her roommate and the DI Jones in the hunt for Lucy. With persistence and good instincts, she hoped she and Marisa would be able to find Lucy.

I thought the whole idea was quite an imposition on her friendship with Marissa, and not realistic at all. Can’t imagine any dectective going along with that! However it was a novel after all!

I thought it was flimsy and surprised the detective bought it. But it worked....

The plan made sense particularly in light of Marisa's supervisor's views towards women in the workplace.

I thought it was silly. And the references to the missing child as "Little Lucy", rather than just Lucy, kind of drove me a little nuts.

I found it to be believable and even typical that a journalist would ‘accidentally’ bump into a friend. While it may not be totally ethical, many stories are obtained through at least a little subterfuge. At least Liz was a good enough journalist to persevere and get at the truth. And that’s why it’s done, the best way to get the truth is to put oneself in a position to get it.

I squirmed a little at Liz's taking advantage of her friend like this. It's one thing to take risks to get what you want but it's another to put your friends at risk.

The plan did not seem very realistic to me, since I cannot imagine police letting civilians be involved in an investigation, especially the press. However, it was a good plot device to get Liz involved in the investigation.

I thought it was silly and it put Melissa in a difficult position. It was hard to believe that that DI Jones went along with it when he made his feelings towards women very clear from the beginning

Liz's scheme has to be viewed in historical context. It probably could have actually worked in 1968 when women in law enforcement were few and procedures more lax. In today's law enforcement environment? I can't picture a reporter being permitted to tag along and become an active participant in an ongoing investigation. Although reporters are a lot more savvy & could perhaps just show up at a location. But this was just one instance in the book of what are now commonly accepted investigative protocols being disregarded.

This example and a few other times in the story I felt that Liz took advantage of Marisa and put her in uncomfortable situations. It did, however, serve the means of advancing the story!