"Grace O'Higgins is a young solo attorney in Syracuse, NY. Kay, a new client, has been referred to her with an unusual problem. Kay has to prove that she is married in order to inherit millions of dollars from the estate of her late uncle. Kay is a disheveled single graduate student in chemistry. She has no prospects. She has no money. She has a month. Kay's two wealthy cousins have hired the best firm in town to prevent her from inheriting the bulk of the estate.
Grace immediately files suit to protect her client. While Grace maneuvers in court, Kay negotiates with her cousins --- pitting them against each other. Then she surprises everyone by finding a husband. The marriage ceremony is performed in a video deposition to provide proof to the court. As the deposition ends, cousin Gunnar dies from an unidentified virus. Cousin Elke dies several days later, as the virus Kay has unleashed spreads. Sociopath Kay has gone from victim to mass murderer, yet remains undetected.
Not satisfied with the entire fortune, Kay forges notes that cause the funds to be wired overseas before the heavy estate taxes can be deducted. Then she disappears. Grace and the cousins' attorney are indicted for conspiracy to defraud the State of New York. Looking for Kay, Grace discovers that her graduate school studies were funded by a Department of Defense bio-warfare grant. "
Jon Agee, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Doorstep of Depravity
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Medical Thriller
Yes
Medical Plotlets:
- story of bio weapon/virus
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Legal Thriller
Yes
Legal Plotlets
- wrangling over a will
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- scholar
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
The antagonists are:
- lawyer creatures
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Genius
Physique
- average physique
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual forms of death
- biohazard/virus
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- mostly dialog
