These stories cover a broad range of subject matter: Lost and found love; botched love; racial tension; a lost God; Death parading as a great white shark; A homespun bar owner and his literary friends; A misplaed Brooklyn Jew in San Francisco's China Town; A couple of ruthless and successful international thieves; An American espionage agent with questions; A guy who abandons society for peace in an insane asylum; A homeless fellow coming to grips with his state in life; A man still missing his mother; A big city sophisticate almost taken in by a wily international lady terrorist; and an arch seducer of women in old age seduced by a dramatically competent lady lawyer. There's a bit of Steinbeck's Cannery Row in here; some Mark Twain sensitivities; but all-in-all a totally original style and use of English, You'll want to have your thinking cap on to keep up with things. Not quite as complex as a Nobakov novel, but challenging nonetheless. Great reading in bed each night before sleep. Upon reflection, you're likely to want to read them all over again to capture what you sense you may have missed in the initial fervor of the moment.