Jane Troth in Summer Sons: The Professor Who Killed for Power

Overview: The Professor Who Killed for Power in Summer Sons

(1,200-1,800 words)

Jane Troth is the most deceptive and dangerous figure in Lee Mandelo's Summer Sons. To Andrew Blur, she is first a sympathetic academic mentor—his dead best friend's advisor, offering condolences and a path forward. To the reader, she becomes something else entirely: a woman who murdered Eddie Fulton to steal his supernatural inheritance, and who will kill again to transfer that power to herself. Troth's arc is a study in the corruption of love and ambition, revealing how the same hunger that drives academic success can curdle into monstrous entitlement. She is not a monster in the supernatural sense; she is a human monster, whose power comes from ritual, manipulation, and a willingness to sacrifice anyone—including her own husband—to keep death at bay.

This analysis traces Troth's role in the plot, her motivations and traits as shown through her actions, her chronological arc, her relationships, her key decisions and their consequences, and her connection to the novel's central themes. It distinguishes between what the text explicitly states and what is interpretation.

Plot Role: The Hidden Antagonist

Jane Troth functions as the novel's primary human antagonist, a figure who orchestrates the central mystery from the shadows. She is introduced as a respected professor of folklore at the university where Andrew is beginning his graduate program. She is also Eddie's former advisor, a connection that initially makes her a source of information and a potential ally.

Her role, however, is one of deliberate concealment. She presents herself as a grieving mentor, offering Andrew Eddie's research materials and proposing to co-author a paper based on his work. This is a calculated performance. The truth, revealed in the novel's climax, is that she killed Eddie to steal his power. When that power passed to Andrew instead, she spent the rest of the novel manipulating him, using her academic authority and personal charm to get close to him, to test him, and ultimately to lure him into a trap.

Troth's plot role is thus twofold: she is the architect of the central crime (Eddie's murder) and the orchestrator of the final confrontation. She is the one who forces Andrew to fully merge with Eddie's revenant, intending to then consume that power for herself. Her plan fails, but her actions drive the novel's climax and its resolution.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Troth's primary motivation is love for her dying husband, Mark. She states this explicitly in Chapter 29: “You’re my one chance to keep my partner alive, and I’m finding there are few limits on what I’d do to save him.” This is not a selfless love, however. It is a desperate, possessive love that justifies murder, manipulation, and the attempted destruction of another person's soul. Her actions reveal a woman who has rationalized her cruelty as necessity.

Her traits are shown through her actions throughout the novel:

Manipulative and Calculating: Troth is a master of social performance. She offers Andrew a tote of books, expresses condolences, and proposes a co-authored paper—all while secretly planning his death. She uses her academic authority to gain his trust, and she uses her knowledge of his past (from Eddie's parents) to appear more connected and sympathetic than she is.
Patient and Strategic: Troth does not act impulsively. She waits for the right moment to give Andrew Eddie's ring, a baited gift she uses to confirm he is the vessel Eddie chose. She invites him to her home, observes him, and tests his abilities. Her plan is long-term and carefully executed.
Clinical and Detached: In the barn, she performs the ritual with the calm of a surgeon. She mixes the paste, cuts Andrew's forearms, and chants, all while narrating her actions. She even says, “I’d rather consider this as theory instead of practice,” revealing a chilling detachment from the violence she is committing.
Desperate and Ruthless: Her desperation is most visible when her plan begins to fail. When Sam attacks Mark, she stabs Sam without hesitation. When Andrew resists, she threatens Sam's life to force his compliance. She is willing to do anything to achieve her goal.
Vain and Entitled: Troth believes the power should have passed to her. She says, “His power should’ve passed to me, according to the ritual I researched. I was surprised—and upset—that it slipped through my fingers.” This sense of entitlement, born from her research and her belief in her own right to the power, fuels her rage and her determination.

Chronological Arc: From Mentor to Murderer

Troth's arc is a slow reveal, moving from a figure of authority to a figure of horror.

Early Appearances (Chapters 5, 18, 23): Troth is introduced as a sympathetic, if intense, professor. She offers Andrew condolences, gives him Eddie's books, and proposes a research collaboration. She is persistent, even pushy, but seems genuinely interested in preserving Eddie's work. She also reveals a personal connection to Eddie's family, which she uses to build trust.
The Faculty Gathering (Chapter 24): This is a turning point. Andrew visits Troth's ancestral plantation home and meets her dying husband, Mark. He senses a pervasive, oppressive presence in the house, and Riley warns him against using his abilities. Troth shows a brief, genuine flash of grief over her children, but her performance is otherwise flawless. This chapter establishes her as a figure of wealth, history, and hidden power.
The Trap (Chapter 28): Troth calls Andrew, claiming her husband has Eddie's monograph and notes, and that she suspects Mark interfered with Eddie. This is a lie, designed to lure Andrew to her home. She drugs him, and he wakes up bound in her barn.
The Confession and Ritual (Chapter 29): In the barn, Troth reveals her true nature. She explains that she killed Eddie, that she intended to take his power, and that she will now take it from Andrew. She forces him to swallow a ritual paste, cuts his forearms, and chants to unite Eddie's revenant with him. When Andrew resists, she threatens Sam's life.
The Climax and Death (Chapter 29): Andrew, merged with the revenant, turns the tables. He animates Mark's corpse to block Troth's attack, then consumes her power entirely. She dies of cardiac arrest, a death that is both physical and supernatural.

Relationships: The Web of Deception

With Eddie Fulton: Troth was Eddie's advisor. She knew his parents and had a personal connection to his family. She saw his research as a means to an end, and she killed him when she realized his power could save her husband. She describes him as “a very self-centered young man,” a dismissive characterization that reveals her lack of genuine affection for him.
With Andrew Blur: Troth sees Andrew as a tool. She uses her academic authority to gain his trust, and she uses her knowledge of his past to manipulate him. She gives him Eddie's ring, knowing it will test him. She invites him to her home, hoping to observe him. Her relationship with him is entirely transactional, a means to acquire the power she believes she deserves.
With Thom West: Troth is West's academic superior, and she has stolen his research. West tells Andrew that Troth threatened to accuse him of plagiarism. This reveals her willingness to exploit and destroy her students for her own gain.
With Sam Halse: Troth sees Sam as a hostage, a tool to control Andrew. She has him cuffed and threatens him to force Andrew's compliance. She stabs him and slashes his face, wounding his eye. Her treatment of Sam is cruel and calculating, showing her complete disregard for human life.
With Mark Troth: Mark is her dying husband, the motivation for her crimes. She loves him, but her love is possessive and destructive. She is willing to kill to save him, and she is willing to let him die when her plan fails. Their relationship is a tragic mirror of the Fulton curse, showing how love can be twisted into a justification for horror.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Killing Eddie: This is the central crime of the novel. Troth kills Eddie to steal his power, but the power passes to Andrew instead. This decision sets the entire plot in motion and leads to her own death.
Giving Andrew the Ring: This is a calculated move to test Andrew and confirm he is the vessel. It works, but it also alerts Andrew to the ring's power and its connection to Troth.
Luring Andrew to Her Home: This is the final trap. Troth drugs Andrew and attempts the ritual. Her plan fails because she underestimates Andrew's strength and Sam's resourcefulness.
Threatening Sam: This is a tactical error. It forces Andrew to release his resistance, but it also gives him a reason to fight back. The revenant, merged with Andrew, is more powerful than Troth anticipated.
Consuming Her Power: This is the consequence of her actions. Andrew, merged with the revenant, consumes her power, killing her. Her death is a direct result of her own hubris and cruelty.

Theme and Symbol Connections

The Inherited Curse and the Hungry Land: Troth is a symbol of the curse's reach. She is an outsider who tries to claim the Fulton power, but she is consumed by it. Her death on the land she tried to control reinforces the theme that the curse cannot be stolen or controlled.
Academic Exploitation of Regional Folklore: Troth embodies this theme. She uses her academic position to exploit Eddie's research and West's work, and she uses her knowledge of folklore to commit murder. She is a critique of the academic world's tendency to commodify and exploit the cultures it studies.
Grief as Forensic Investigation: Troth's grief for Mark is a twisted version of Andrew's grief for Eddie. She turns her grief into a violent quest for power, while Andrew turns his into an investigation. Her story shows the destructive potential of grief when it is not processed but weaponized.
The Revenant as Copy: Troth's attempt to copy Eddie's power is a form of replication. She wants to become a copy of the Fulton heir, but she fails. Her death is a reminder that the revenant is not a power to be copied but a curse to be inherited.

5 Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why did Jane Troth kill Eddie Fulton?

Troth killed Eddie because she wanted to steal his supernatural power. She had researched a ritual that she believed would transfer the power to her, and she intended to use it to save her dying husband, Mark. She says, “His power should’ve passed to me, according to the ritual I researched.”

2. How does Troth manipulate Andrew throughout the novel?

Troth uses her academic authority and personal charm to gain Andrew's trust. She offers him Eddie's research materials, proposes a co-authored paper, and gives him Eddie's ring. She also uses her knowledge of his past to appear more connected and sympathetic. Her manipulation is designed to get him to her home, where she can perform the ritual.

3. What is the significance of the ring Troth gives Andrew?

The ring is a baited gift. Troth uses it to confirm that Andrew is the vessel Eddie chose. She says, “Thank you for putting the ring on. I needed to be sure of your role, verify you were the vessel he’d chosen.” The ring is also a symbol of Eddie's power and a tool for the ritual.

4. How does Troth's relationship with her husband, Mark, drive her actions?

Mark is dying of cancer, and Troth is desperate to save him. She says, “You’re my one chance to keep my partner alive, and I’m finding there are few limits on what I’d do to save him.” Her love for Mark is the motivation for her crimes, but it is a possessive and destructive love that justifies murder.

5. What is Troth's ultimate fate, and how does it reflect the novel's themes?

Troth is killed by Andrew, who is merged with Eddie's revenant. He consumes her power, and she dies of cardiac arrest. Her death is a direct result of her own hubris and cruelty, and it reinforces the theme that the curse cannot be stolen or controlled. She is a symbol of the destructive potential of academic exploitation and the inherited curse.

Conclusion

Jane Troth is a masterfully crafted antagonist, a woman whose love and ambition drive her to commit unspeakable acts. She is not a supernatural monster but a human one, and her story is a chilling reminder of the lengths people will go to for power and love. Her death is a fitting end for a character who tried to steal a curse and was consumed by it.

For a deeper exploration of the novel's themes, see our analysis of the inherited curse and the hungry land, grief as forensic investigation, and academic exploitation of regional folklore. For a full breakdown of the novel's ending, visit our ending explained page.