Sixers

In Kavanagh's well-wrought debut, a mysterious virus has been killing 74% of the earth's population, and friendly ``bean counter'' David Stonetree may hold a key to a cure. Lucky to be among the 26% ``sixers,'' of the population that's immune to the disease, Stonetree's luck continues with a promotion to the upper tier of his company, SUE, a conglomerate that manufactures the best treatment for the illness, CYD. Is it really in the best interests of SUE, however, to cure CYD? The stricken (and those who like the high it produces) pay billions for the pharmaceutical. But what Stonetree's new superior, super-executive Trisha Lane, really wants is a few pints of blood, distilled by SUE at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, which she believes is in the hands of Dr. Arthur Camden--who had originally isolated CYD. After being fired by SUE, Camden continues to search for a cure, and he wants his notebooks back. Stonetree is put in the middle of the powerplay, but though the situation is grave, the narrative is lighthearted. Moral points, and the details of a 1990s time frame, are present but not belabored, making Sixers both engaging and fun to read. (Apr.)