New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. Hardcover first edition - The author's first novel, one which introduces us to Evers Wheeling, "a preternaturally young North Carolina judge who's headed to the dogs with his eyes wide open. . But just before he makes it there, into his life comes a blonde in trouble with an outrageous (and ever-mutating) tale of a brother who needs help avoiding a jail sentence." James Crumley called this "a wonderfully unique read, charming and funny and touching and twisted, as fresh and tart as a perfect martini." 348 pp. ISBN: 0-375407251.