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As the plot thickens, the filmmakers — the movie was written by Ben Power and directed by Christian Schwochow — try to build tension by cutting back and forth between the two lines of action that eventually, predictably converge.

As the mystical plot thickens, the daughter finds letters in those backyard holes that turn out to be written by Grandmother — Ama — long, broken streams of consciousness that fill in the holes in the larger story too.

"Clearly, the plot thickens; the only thing we can be sure of is that these events will push Lebanon into further political and economic chaos, at a time when the nation is already on the brink of collapse."

In honor of my new crime-fiction column, The Plot Thickens, the fall selection for Moira’s Seattle Times Book Club is a detective novel.

In Marseilles, the plot thickens, the danger escalates, and the emotional temperature spikes.