Author: Jeff Klima
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1402253729
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
It had been well over a month since I had seen or heard from Dirk, and it was showing in my bank account...I was tempted to start searching for another job. I still had faith, though, that somehow, someway, I was meant for this line of work... "Hello?" I mumbled, not recognizing the number on the caller ID. "Jeff, it's Dirk," said the voice. I waited curiously, wondering who the hell Dirk was. "We've got one," he eventually said when I failed to answer. We had never bothered to get together for any sort of training, and now, it was too late. After toiling for minimum wage for years, Jeff Klima got an unexpected offer: to head up a brand new crime scene cleanup company in Orange County. The upside? A chance to make incredible money in a field with no competition. The downside? Everything else about the job. The Dead Janitors Club is an engrossing, hilarious, and morbidly fascinating memoir of life and death, from someone whose life is death. From his first job—where a piece of brain fell off the ceiling and landed in his eye—to having to clean up one of his former neighbors, The Dead Janitors Club is more than just a retelling of crime scenes and what it takes to clean them up. It is a memoir about struggling to survive college, love, life, and keeping one's sanity when one never knows if, the next time the phone rings, you must delve into the darker side of life and death.
The Dead Janitors Club
Author: Jeff Klima
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1402253729
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
It had been well over a month since I had seen or heard from Dirk, and it was showing in my bank account...I was tempted to start searching for another job. I still had faith, though, that somehow, someway, I was meant for this line of work... "Hello?" I mumbled, not recognizing the number on the caller ID. "Jeff, it's Dirk," said the voice. I waited curiously, wondering who the hell Dirk was. "We've got one," he eventually said when I failed to answer. We had never bothered to get together for any sort of training, and now, it was too late. After toiling for minimum wage for years, Jeff Klima got an unexpected offer: to head up a brand new crime scene cleanup company in Orange County. The upside? A chance to make incredible money in a field with no competition. The downside? Everything else about the job. The Dead Janitors Club is an engrossing, hilarious, and morbidly fascinating memoir of life and death, from someone whose life is death. From his first job—where a piece of brain fell off the ceiling and landed in his eye—to having to clean up one of his former neighbors, The Dead Janitors Club is more than just a retelling of crime scenes and what it takes to clean them up. It is a memoir about struggling to survive college, love, life, and keeping one's sanity when one never knows if, the next time the phone rings, you must delve into the darker side of life and death.
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1402253729
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
It had been well over a month since I had seen or heard from Dirk, and it was showing in my bank account...I was tempted to start searching for another job. I still had faith, though, that somehow, someway, I was meant for this line of work... "Hello?" I mumbled, not recognizing the number on the caller ID. "Jeff, it's Dirk," said the voice. I waited curiously, wondering who the hell Dirk was. "We've got one," he eventually said when I failed to answer. We had never bothered to get together for any sort of training, and now, it was too late. After toiling for minimum wage for years, Jeff Klima got an unexpected offer: to head up a brand new crime scene cleanup company in Orange County. The upside? A chance to make incredible money in a field with no competition. The downside? Everything else about the job. The Dead Janitors Club is an engrossing, hilarious, and morbidly fascinating memoir of life and death, from someone whose life is death. From his first job—where a piece of brain fell off the ceiling and landed in his eye—to having to clean up one of his former neighbors, The Dead Janitors Club is more than just a retelling of crime scenes and what it takes to clean them up. It is a memoir about struggling to survive college, love, life, and keeping one's sanity when one never knows if, the next time the phone rings, you must delve into the darker side of life and death.
The Dead Janitors Club
Author: Jeff Klima
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781402238291
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
It had been well over a month since I had seen or heard from Dirk, and it was showing in my bank account...I was tempted to start searching for another job. I still had faith, though, that somehow, someway, I was meant for this line of work... Hello? I mumbled, not recognizing the number on the caller ID. Jeff, it's Dirk, said the voice. I waited curiously, wondering who the hell Dirk was. We've got one, he eventually said when I failed to answer. We had never bothered to get together for any sort of training, and now, it was too late. After toiling for minimum wage for years, Jeff Klima got an unexpected offer: to head up a brand new crime scene cleanup company in Orange County. The upside? A chance to make incredible money in a field with no competition. The downside? Everything else about the job. The Dead Janitors Club is an engrossing, hilarious, and morbidly fascinating memoir of life and death, from someone whose life is death. From his first job--where a piece of brain fell off the ceiling and landed in his eye--to having to clean up one of his former neighbors, The Dead Janitors Club is more than just a retelling of crime scenes and what it takes to clean them up. It is a memoir about struggling to survive college, love, life, and keeping one's sanity when one never knows if, the next time the phone rings, you must delve into the darker side of life and death.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781402238291
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
It had been well over a month since I had seen or heard from Dirk, and it was showing in my bank account...I was tempted to start searching for another job. I still had faith, though, that somehow, someway, I was meant for this line of work... Hello? I mumbled, not recognizing the number on the caller ID. Jeff, it's Dirk, said the voice. I waited curiously, wondering who the hell Dirk was. We've got one, he eventually said when I failed to answer. We had never bothered to get together for any sort of training, and now, it was too late. After toiling for minimum wage for years, Jeff Klima got an unexpected offer: to head up a brand new crime scene cleanup company in Orange County. The upside? A chance to make incredible money in a field with no competition. The downside? Everything else about the job. The Dead Janitors Club is an engrossing, hilarious, and morbidly fascinating memoir of life and death, from someone whose life is death. From his first job--where a piece of brain fell off the ceiling and landed in his eye--to having to clean up one of his former neighbors, The Dead Janitors Club is more than just a retelling of crime scenes and what it takes to clean them up. It is a memoir about struggling to survive college, love, life, and keeping one's sanity when one never knows if, the next time the phone rings, you must delve into the darker side of life and death.
Aftermath, Inc
Author: Gil Reavill
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781592402960
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 316
Book Description
A crime writer who thought he could handle anything confronts the worst of everything when he dons a HazMat suit and joins the technicians of Aftermath, Inc., a crime-scene clean-up company. b&w photos throughout.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781592402960
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 316
Book Description
A crime writer who thought he could handle anything confronts the worst of everything when he dons a HazMat suit and joins the technicians of Aftermath, Inc., a crime-scene clean-up company. b&w photos throughout.
Mop Men
Author: Alan Emmins
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429988045
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 275
Book Description
Neal Smither doesn't hide his work. The side of his van reads: "Crime Scene Cleaners: Homicides, Suicides and Accidental Death." Whenever a hotel guest permanently checks out, the cops finish an investigation, or an accidental death is reported, Smither's crew pick up the pieces after the police cruisers and ambulances have left. Alan Emmins offers a glimpse at this little-known aspect of America's most gruesome deaths. Filled with details as fascinating as they are gory, Mop Men examines not just the public fascination with murder but also how a self-made success like Smither can make a fortune just by praying for death.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429988045
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 275
Book Description
Neal Smither doesn't hide his work. The side of his van reads: "Crime Scene Cleaners: Homicides, Suicides and Accidental Death." Whenever a hotel guest permanently checks out, the cops finish an investigation, or an accidental death is reported, Smither's crew pick up the pieces after the police cruisers and ambulances have left. Alan Emmins offers a glimpse at this little-known aspect of America's most gruesome deaths. Filled with details as fascinating as they are gory, Mop Men examines not just the public fascination with murder but also how a self-made success like Smither can make a fortune just by praying for death.
Deeper Than the Dead
Author: Tami Hoag
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593473345
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
A serial killer terrorizes a small California town in this gripping thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag. California, 1985—Four children and young teacher Anne Navarre make a gruesome discovery: a partially buried female body, her eyes and mouth glued shut. A serial killer is at large, and the very bonds that hold their idyllic town together are about to be tested to the breaking point. Tasked with finding the killer, FBI investigator Vince Leone employs a new and controversial FBI technique called “profiling,” which plunges him into the lives of the four children—and the young teacher whose need to uncover the truth is as intense as his own. But as new victims are found and pressure from the media grows, Vince and Anne find themselves circling the same small group of local suspects, unsure if those who suffer most are the victims themselves—or those close to the killer, blissfully unaware that someone very near to them is a murderous psychopath…
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593473345
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
A serial killer terrorizes a small California town in this gripping thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag. California, 1985—Four children and young teacher Anne Navarre make a gruesome discovery: a partially buried female body, her eyes and mouth glued shut. A serial killer is at large, and the very bonds that hold their idyllic town together are about to be tested to the breaking point. Tasked with finding the killer, FBI investigator Vince Leone employs a new and controversial FBI technique called “profiling,” which plunges him into the lives of the four children—and the young teacher whose need to uncover the truth is as intense as his own. But as new victims are found and pressure from the media grows, Vince and Anne find themselves circling the same small group of local suspects, unsure if those who suffer most are the victims themselves—or those close to the killer, blissfully unaware that someone very near to them is a murderous psychopath…
Terminal Uprising
Author: Jim C. Hines
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
ISBN: 075641279X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Human civilization didn’t just fall. It was pushed. The Krakau came to Earth in the year 2104. By 2105, humanity had been reduced to shambling, feral monsters. In the Krakau’s defense, it was an accident, and a century later, they did come back and try to fix us. Sort of. It’s been four months since Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos learned the truth of that accident. Four months since she and her team of hygiene and sanitation specialists stole the EMCS Pufferfish and stopped a bioterrorism attack against the Krakau homeworld. Four months since she set out to find proof of what really happened on Earth all those years ago. Between trying to protect their secrets and fighting the xenocidal Prodryans, who’ve been escalating their war against everyone who isn’t Prodryan, the Krakau have their tentacles full. Mops’ mission changes when she learns of a secret Krakau laboratory on Earth. A small group under command of Fleet Admiral Belle-Bonne Sage is working to create a new weapon, one that could bring victory over the Prodryans … or drown the galaxy in chaos. To discover the truth, Mops and her rogue cleaning crew will have to do the one thing she fears most: return to Earth, a world overrun by feral apes, wild dogs, savage humans, and worse. (After all, the planet hasn’t been cleaned in a century and a half!) What Mops finds in the filthy ruins of humanity could change everything, assuming she survives long enough to share it. Perhaps humanity isn’t as dead as the galaxy thought.
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
ISBN: 075641279X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Human civilization didn’t just fall. It was pushed. The Krakau came to Earth in the year 2104. By 2105, humanity had been reduced to shambling, feral monsters. In the Krakau’s defense, it was an accident, and a century later, they did come back and try to fix us. Sort of. It’s been four months since Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos learned the truth of that accident. Four months since she and her team of hygiene and sanitation specialists stole the EMCS Pufferfish and stopped a bioterrorism attack against the Krakau homeworld. Four months since she set out to find proof of what really happened on Earth all those years ago. Between trying to protect their secrets and fighting the xenocidal Prodryans, who’ve been escalating their war against everyone who isn’t Prodryan, the Krakau have their tentacles full. Mops’ mission changes when she learns of a secret Krakau laboratory on Earth. A small group under command of Fleet Admiral Belle-Bonne Sage is working to create a new weapon, one that could bring victory over the Prodryans … or drown the galaxy in chaos. To discover the truth, Mops and her rogue cleaning crew will have to do the one thing she fears most: return to Earth, a world overrun by feral apes, wild dogs, savage humans, and worse. (After all, the planet hasn’t been cleaned in a century and a half!) What Mops finds in the filthy ruins of humanity could change everything, assuming she survives long enough to share it. Perhaps humanity isn’t as dead as the galaxy thought.
L.A. Rotten
Author: Jeff Klima
Publisher: Alibi
ISBN: 1101882735
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
For fans of Dexter, Jeff Klima’s debut thriller is a chillingly suspenseful novel set in a world of violence and chaos—where one man finds himself right at home. As an expert crime-scene cleaner, Tom Tanner charges big money to carve out bullets, mop up fluids, disinfect walls, and dispose of whatever’s left of whomever was unlucky enough to require his services. For a handsome young ex-con determined to stay out of trouble, it’s practically a dream job—until he discovers a grisly pattern to his work: a string of gruesome murders at a cheap motel chain, always in Room 236. While prying into a serial killer’s nasty scheme, Tom finds himself with a sharp-witted strip-bar waitress plastered to his side—and his conscience. Even more surprising, the killer starts prying into his life, luring Tom into a twisted friendship. As Tom struggles against his adversary’s wicked whims, risking the lives of the few people he holds dear, bodies pile up everywhere he turns. With a psychopath calling the shots, Tom has little choice but to clean house once and for all. Praise for L.A. Rotten “A really impressive debut . . . The book’s black humor reminded me a little of Donald E. Westlake, while the setting and dialogue could have come from Elmore Leonard. Those are two crime-writing legends whose names I don’t evoke lightly. Hopefully, L.A. Rotten is just the start for Jeff Klima.”—Crime Fiction Lover “Eloquent, profound, hilarious, and redemptive, L.A. Rotten has a heart of gold.”—Dianne Emley, bestselling author of the Nan Vining mysteries “A must-read novel for those who enjoy raw, ‘pulpy’ mysteries . . . Engrossing and satisfying, L.A. Rotten is a hard-boiled thriller that readers will be unable to put down.”—Gina Fava, author of The Sculptor “A thrilling ride!”—Bell, Book & Candle “Fast-paced and compelling . . . This book is recommended for mystery readers.”—Booksie’s Blog “Pick it up!”—Drey’s Library “A great book . . . It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. If you love mystery books then I know you will love this story.”—The World As I See It “It’s gory, foul, and not for the faint-hearted. Although, interestingly enough, there are a couple of funny bits in L.A. Rotten. Leave it to the author to create a story that’s violent and comical.”—Priscilla and Her Books
Publisher: Alibi
ISBN: 1101882735
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
For fans of Dexter, Jeff Klima’s debut thriller is a chillingly suspenseful novel set in a world of violence and chaos—where one man finds himself right at home. As an expert crime-scene cleaner, Tom Tanner charges big money to carve out bullets, mop up fluids, disinfect walls, and dispose of whatever’s left of whomever was unlucky enough to require his services. For a handsome young ex-con determined to stay out of trouble, it’s practically a dream job—until he discovers a grisly pattern to his work: a string of gruesome murders at a cheap motel chain, always in Room 236. While prying into a serial killer’s nasty scheme, Tom finds himself with a sharp-witted strip-bar waitress plastered to his side—and his conscience. Even more surprising, the killer starts prying into his life, luring Tom into a twisted friendship. As Tom struggles against his adversary’s wicked whims, risking the lives of the few people he holds dear, bodies pile up everywhere he turns. With a psychopath calling the shots, Tom has little choice but to clean house once and for all. Praise for L.A. Rotten “A really impressive debut . . . The book’s black humor reminded me a little of Donald E. Westlake, while the setting and dialogue could have come from Elmore Leonard. Those are two crime-writing legends whose names I don’t evoke lightly. Hopefully, L.A. Rotten is just the start for Jeff Klima.”—Crime Fiction Lover “Eloquent, profound, hilarious, and redemptive, L.A. Rotten has a heart of gold.”—Dianne Emley, bestselling author of the Nan Vining mysteries “A must-read novel for those who enjoy raw, ‘pulpy’ mysteries . . . Engrossing and satisfying, L.A. Rotten is a hard-boiled thriller that readers will be unable to put down.”—Gina Fava, author of The Sculptor “A thrilling ride!”—Bell, Book & Candle “Fast-paced and compelling . . . This book is recommended for mystery readers.”—Booksie’s Blog “Pick it up!”—Drey’s Library “A great book . . . It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. If you love mystery books then I know you will love this story.”—The World As I See It “It’s gory, foul, and not for the faint-hearted. Although, interestingly enough, there are a couple of funny bits in L.A. Rotten. Leave it to the author to create a story that’s violent and comical.”—Priscilla and Her Books
Earning Without Being Employed
Author: Jeff Evarts
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1462067514
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 188
Book Description
If you want to escape traditional workplace but don't know where to start, then this handbook is for you. Explore a wide range of self-employment options-thirty-five of them-and gain practical tips on how to succeed as your own boss. These jobs do not require you to get hired by anyone, and you don't need to invest in a franchise or rent a store. For each one, you'll find detailed information, including - what you can expect to be paid; - where to go for additional information; - what licenses, if any, are required; - how to fi gure out if a particular option is right for you. Earning a living doesn't mean you need to have a boss. Take charge of your destiny. Be productive, and get paid what you deserve. Discover the many self-employment options that will have you Earning without being Employed.
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1462067514
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 188
Book Description
If you want to escape traditional workplace but don't know where to start, then this handbook is for you. Explore a wide range of self-employment options-thirty-five of them-and gain practical tips on how to succeed as your own boss. These jobs do not require you to get hired by anyone, and you don't need to invest in a franchise or rent a store. For each one, you'll find detailed information, including - what you can expect to be paid; - where to go for additional information; - what licenses, if any, are required; - how to fi gure out if a particular option is right for you. Earning a living doesn't mean you need to have a boss. Take charge of your destiny. Be productive, and get paid what you deserve. Discover the many self-employment options that will have you Earning without being Employed.
A Good-Looking Corpse
Author: Jeff Klima
Publisher: Alibi
ISBN: 1101886633
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Tom Tanner, the crime-scene-cleaning virtuoso of L.A. Rotten—hailed by Dianne Emley as “eloquent, profound, hilarious, and redemptive”—is going Hollywood. Because a psychopathic movie producer is planning a bloody blockbuster . . . with Tom in a starring role. Tom Tanner has a dark past but he’s no murderer. Unfortunately, Mikey Echo—the spoiled son of the most powerful man in Hollywood—seems to think otherwise. After a young actor suffers an untimely demise out a thirty-fourth-floor window, handsome ex-con Tom is summoned to scrub the splatter below. At the scene, he learns that producer Mikey has an indecent proposal to make—and for Tom, that means signing a deal with the devil. The rotten part is, things had finally been going Tom’s way. He’s got good steady work, a feisty woman to come home to, even a little notoriety for solving a string of grisly motel murders. Now Tom just wants this mad prince of Tinseltown to leave him alone. But the fatalist within braces for the inevitable: To get Mikey Echo off his back, someone must die. Praise for Jeff Klima’s L.A. Rotten “A really impressive debut . . . The book’s black humor reminded me a little of Donald E. Westlake, while the setting and dialogue could have come from Elmore Leonard. Those are two crime-writing legends whose names I don’t evoke lightly. Hopefully, L.A. Rotten is just the start for Jeff Klima.”—Crime Fiction Lover “Eloquent, profound, hilarious, and redemptive, L.A. Rotten has a heart of gold.”—Dianne Emley, bestselling author of the Nan Vining mysteries “A must-read novel for those who enjoy raw, ‘pulpy’ mysteries . . . Engrossing and satisfying, L.A. Rotten is a hard-boiled thriller that readers will be unable to put down.”—Gina Fava, author of The Sculptor
Publisher: Alibi
ISBN: 1101886633
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Tom Tanner, the crime-scene-cleaning virtuoso of L.A. Rotten—hailed by Dianne Emley as “eloquent, profound, hilarious, and redemptive”—is going Hollywood. Because a psychopathic movie producer is planning a bloody blockbuster . . . with Tom in a starring role. Tom Tanner has a dark past but he’s no murderer. Unfortunately, Mikey Echo—the spoiled son of the most powerful man in Hollywood—seems to think otherwise. After a young actor suffers an untimely demise out a thirty-fourth-floor window, handsome ex-con Tom is summoned to scrub the splatter below. At the scene, he learns that producer Mikey has an indecent proposal to make—and for Tom, that means signing a deal with the devil. The rotten part is, things had finally been going Tom’s way. He’s got good steady work, a feisty woman to come home to, even a little notoriety for solving a string of grisly motel murders. Now Tom just wants this mad prince of Tinseltown to leave him alone. But the fatalist within braces for the inevitable: To get Mikey Echo off his back, someone must die. Praise for Jeff Klima’s L.A. Rotten “A really impressive debut . . . The book’s black humor reminded me a little of Donald E. Westlake, while the setting and dialogue could have come from Elmore Leonard. Those are two crime-writing legends whose names I don’t evoke lightly. Hopefully, L.A. Rotten is just the start for Jeff Klima.”—Crime Fiction Lover “Eloquent, profound, hilarious, and redemptive, L.A. Rotten has a heart of gold.”—Dianne Emley, bestselling author of the Nan Vining mysteries “A must-read novel for those who enjoy raw, ‘pulpy’ mysteries . . . Engrossing and satisfying, L.A. Rotten is a hard-boiled thriller that readers will be unable to put down.”—Gina Fava, author of The Sculptor
Drowning Ruth
Author: Christina Schwarz
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 030748405X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
Deftly written and emotionally powerful, Drowning Ruth is a stunning portrait of the ties that bind sisters together and the forces that tear them apart, of the dangers of keeping secrets and the explosive repercussions when they are exposed. A mesmerizing and achingly beautiful debut. Winter, 1919. Amanda Starkey spends her days nursing soldiers wounded in the Great War. Finding herself suddenly overwhelmed, she flees Milwaukee and retreats to her family's farm on Nagawaukee Lake, seeking comfort with her younger sister, Mathilda, and three-year-old niece, Ruth. But very soon, Amanda comes to see that her old home is no refuge--she has carried her troubles with her. On one terrible night almost a year later, Amanda loses nearly everything that is dearest to her when her sister mysteriously disappears and is later found drowned beneath the ice that covers the lake. When Mathilda's husband comes home from the war, wounded and troubled himself, he finds that Amanda has taken charge of Ruth and the farm, assuming her responsibility with a frightening intensity. Wry and guarded, Amanda tells the story of her family in careful doses, as anxious to hide from herself as from us the secrets of her own past and of that night. Ruth, haunted by her own memory of that fateful night, grows up under the watchful eye of her prickly and possessive aunt and gradually becomes aware of the odd events of her childhood. As she tells her own story with increasing clarity, she reveals the mounting toll that her aunt's secrets exact from her family and everyone around her, until the heartrending truth is uncovered. Guiding us through the lives of the Starkey women, Christina Schwarz's first novel shows her compassion and a unique understanding of the American landscape and the people who live on it.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 030748405X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
Deftly written and emotionally powerful, Drowning Ruth is a stunning portrait of the ties that bind sisters together and the forces that tear them apart, of the dangers of keeping secrets and the explosive repercussions when they are exposed. A mesmerizing and achingly beautiful debut. Winter, 1919. Amanda Starkey spends her days nursing soldiers wounded in the Great War. Finding herself suddenly overwhelmed, she flees Milwaukee and retreats to her family's farm on Nagawaukee Lake, seeking comfort with her younger sister, Mathilda, and three-year-old niece, Ruth. But very soon, Amanda comes to see that her old home is no refuge--she has carried her troubles with her. On one terrible night almost a year later, Amanda loses nearly everything that is dearest to her when her sister mysteriously disappears and is later found drowned beneath the ice that covers the lake. When Mathilda's husband comes home from the war, wounded and troubled himself, he finds that Amanda has taken charge of Ruth and the farm, assuming her responsibility with a frightening intensity. Wry and guarded, Amanda tells the story of her family in careful doses, as anxious to hide from herself as from us the secrets of her own past and of that night. Ruth, haunted by her own memory of that fateful night, grows up under the watchful eye of her prickly and possessive aunt and gradually becomes aware of the odd events of her childhood. As she tells her own story with increasing clarity, she reveals the mounting toll that her aunt's secrets exact from her family and everyone around her, until the heartrending truth is uncovered. Guiding us through the lives of the Starkey women, Christina Schwarz's first novel shows her compassion and a unique understanding of the American landscape and the people who live on it.