Divorce in America is Spotlighted in Kenneth Eade's Extraordinary Decree of Finality

“My husband and I never considered divorce… 

murder sometimes, but never divorce"

-Joyce Brothers

Aside from Kenneth Eade being one of the most outstanding writers in legal fiction, I admire him so much for taking on major social issues and writing a story surrounding some of the major ones... Like marriage/divorce... One of the old songs of my youth was Love is Lovelier the Second Time Around. Yes, there are sometimes reasons to seek a divorce and it became acceptable... However, as Eade found in his research, today, many people care more about the results of divorce on their financial pockets, than on getting out of a bad marriage. I wanted to share an overview of what he found...

I usually pick an important subject to wrap a story around.  This time, I thought that the subject would be a little lighter, but I was very surprised when I did a little Internet research to find just how common spousal murder was. According to a 2014 article in the Huffington Post, at least 1/3 of all women murdered in the United States are killed by their male partners. Now, with the baby boomer generation approaching retirement, according to an article in Saultstar.com, divorces in the after-55 crowd often involve fat retirement funds and paid-off houses, making alternative solutions (albeit insane insane ones like murder) attractive. Hiring a hitman (or woman) becomes an irresistible and economic alternative for some amoral people who feel that they are trapped in long marriages.  The article cites that 3.2% of murders are done on a commercial basis.  Citing straightdope.com, the article states that “most contract killings are carried out by small-time freelancers hired by ‘schlubs.’ The perpetrators in these arrangements are often caught by undercover policemen and FBI agents posing as hired killers.  The article reports that an Australian Institute of Criminology study estimates the average costs of a hit to be $12,700; which is significantly less than the cost of an attorney in a contested divorce.  According to a 1995 study by the U.S. Department Department of Justice, husbands are convicted more often than wives of spousal murder, and the convicted men are more likely to receive a prison term than convicted women.  In 44% of the cases of husband killing, the husband had assaulted the wife at the time of the killing.  Assaulted wives were convicted 56% of the time, compared to 86% in the case of unprovoked wives and 88% in the case of unprovoked husbands.   Another article in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture entitled Monstrous Arrogance: Husbands who Choose Murder Over Divorce, by Cynthia Lewis, PhD, examines a dozen convictions in murders where husbands have murdered their wives to save themselves from some consequences of divorce that they perceive as “too costly.”  How murder could become a viable alternative to divorce is either an indicator of the collapse of moral compass in our society, or an indication of the need for divorce reform, or perhaps both.  The article points out that, instead of the emotional crimes that you expect to see in spousal murders, it was a “practical matter;” so much so that most of the women never had a sense of how much danger they were in. According to the article, this type of murderer often projects confidence and an ability to win the trust of others, yet is “atypically devoid of feeling,” “icy and calculating,” and self-centered to the point of narcissism...

Decree of Finality:

A Lawyer Brent Marks Legal Thriller

By Kenneth Eade

Eade quotes Dr. Joyce Brother in the front of the book... When I first read it, it was funny: that she and her husband never considered divorce, but had murder... Decree of Finality is a perfect response to his research findings! in these chaotic times, it made me happy to have remained single! At the same time, Eade has created a suspenseful legal thriller that readers will quickly be pulled into...And hating the wife, was my first response...

Actually she deserved my hate--don't you just love being allowed to hate book characters?! LOL  Amy Taylor was perfectly happy staying married. She had successfully pulled away from any personal interpersonal relationship with her husband, while still using his money to live the lavish life for which she had first married him. She considered she was earning the money by hosting lavish parties and courting clients for her husband...

Indeed Dr. Robert Taylor had built up his professional career and had become well known as one of the best dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon around... 

So, when Dr. Taylor told his wife he wanted a divorce, she immediately turned the tables, faked a physical abuse charge on her husband, and called the police! Wow! Readers immediately come to attention! And, quite frankly, we will not be surprised when murder comes to mind for these spouses...

Of course, one is murdered; however, by that time, the complexity of the storyline and the investigative results from Lawyer Brent Marks' office has uncovered much--they aren't new situations, but rather the known--hiding money...anything that can be easily done with a good lawyer helping point out all the options!  

Brent Marks had built his reputation so that he had stopped taking divorce cases, which were always messy. But, recently business had slowed, and he knew he needed to consider this case, especially if the client could pay his normal costs, plus investigative services. Sadly, Marks took it, thinking he had a decent client who would work with him...

That had been before, he was called by his client when his wife had staged a physical assault and had been charged and jailed! This was going to get dirty...

Jack Ruder, Marks' investigator, was an outstanding character in this book, in my opinion... It was Ruder, not the police, who was watching Taylor's house 24/7 and saw and documented who had visited on the night Amy was killed... But he went on to think through the case as his FBI training had provided and moved through step-by-step to provide a major portion of the evidence to solve the case.

But, Eade refused to present a straight case...and the climatic finale was a surprise, even to Marks! I love being caught off guard...and Eade is a master of keeping his readers on edge, not knowing how the book will actually end...

I am definitely a fan of the Brent Marks' Series (as well as the Paladine series)... Check out more from this series on this blog:

https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2018/04/predatory-kill-by-kenneth-eade-second.html

https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2018/04/kenneth-eade-presents-patriots-act.html

https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2016/09/freedom-of-information-act-spotlighted.html

https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2016/08/kenneth-eade-gets-readers-involved-in.html

https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2016/03/kenneth-eade-produces-another-must-read.html

Let me just say that I have never been disappointed with any book by Kenneth Eade. For legal thrillers, I will think of him first--he speaks to my desires to learn more about the legal ramifications of social issues. Something that is, in my opinion, very much needed today when Truth--in accordance with fact or reality-- has become such an important, but much sought after, attribute for individuals. But I surely do love a thriller I can sink into...Eade provides a most satisfying read and is a favorite author! Do check him out!

And if you are thinking of a divorce, you might want to read this book...first...

GABixlerReviews

Kenneth Eade splits most of his time between Russia, France, and the United States. His background as a Wall Street and corporate attorney along with his ability to see the world from multiple perspectives has helped catapult him into one of the top thriller writers of his generation

http://sarahwestall.com/russian-views-with-kenneth-eade/

. 

Nuclear War is such a serous subject that using it to promote a political agenda and scaring people is irresponsible, stupid and simply unacceptable. But, somehow our current politicians find it ok to actively promote Nuclear War through propaganda. This increases tensions between countries and fringe crazies and unstable leaders to seriously think about Nuclear Weapons as a legitimate option to solve their concerns whether imaginary or real.

Listen to the Podcast!