1.   Burke casually creates a cast of characters as damaged and nasty as anything in the pages of Jim Thompson.

2.   Business scandals like the collapse of Enron almost always create a cast of villains.

3.   But scarcity has created a cast of thousands of intermediaries, who can and do sell access to the young women who might relinquish babies.

4.   Chase has created a cast of characters for his smash hit show who are completely idiosyncratic and unforgettable.

5.   The quirky quintet of baby-faced boys created a cast of characters almost as bizarre as their own personalities.