| In what looks like another ripped-from-the-headlines instance of a disgruntled employee 'going postal' and slaughtering his co-workers, someone entered the Huntington Beach office of Payroll Computation Services and gunned down 18 employees in broad daylight. Veteran Detective Bart Starcevich has been assigned the task of solving this gruesome multiple-murder case. Little evidence was found at the crime scene. There are no witnesses. There are no leads. The brass at PCS headquarters in Chicago are trying to quiet the media frenzy and retain their Southern California customer base.
District Attorney Stanton Treadwell brings in FBI Profiler Tracy Conway to assist Detective Starcevich. The main suspects appear to be several surving PCS employees, and the slain Vice President's daughter, Julie Albright, who turns out to be proficient with firearms. Sales rep Denny Lydick takes over for Julie's dad in running the Orange County office, and romance soon blossoms between Denny & Julie. Accounts Payable Manager Carl Strayhorn is booked by Starcevich when the murder weapons are found in a storage locker rented in his name. Detective Starcevich thinks he has his man, but does he? | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70% Special suspect? - relative Murder of certain profession? Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Female Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power The antagonists are: - big business leader(s) How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - California City? Yes City: - Los Angeles - Chicago Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - descript. of breasts Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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