"Higgins's large and devoted following will find no unpleasant surprises here. The story unfolds
in a nonlinear way; it does so almost entirely through superb dialogue that reveals character in a far more
complex and interesting way than does an omniscient narrator. . . .As always, his characters are so real they
spare us the task of willingly suspending disbelief."The New York Times Book Review

"Let them talk. For 25 years, Higgins' novels have been built on this one simple principlethat you learn the
most about people by listening to what they say and how they say it. His books move in sweeping, slowly
inclining curves, like a highway gradually winding its way up a mountain, moving in one direction without ever
seeming to be pointing there."Booklist

"With the sociological grasp of Trollope and Thackeray, but with a distinctly postmodern sense of
architecturehe circles around subplots long after you've forgotten why they ever came upHiggins. . .has
produced his most ambitious, and infuriating, book in years."Kirkus

Two friends, Ambrose Merrion, a clerk of the court of Massachusetts, and Danny Hilliard, a rising politician,
agree that politics is the way to help society take care of its own. With Merrion shrewdly managing his friend's
campaigns, they make an excellent team, managing to revitalize the local economy and to protect the unfortunate
snared in the criminal justice system. But trouble starts brewing when Merrion unexpectedly inherits ill-gotten
gains from a corrupt predecessor, enabling him to indulge with Danny in the finer luxuries. To Merrion's dismay,
Hilliard begins a streak of mischief that quickly flares into an adultery scandal. What was good clean wickedness
in 1960 had become a crime in 1996. Now, a righteous, vengeful prosecutor believes he has found an exquisitely
ingenious way to put Hilliard in jailby forcing Merrion to incriminate him.

Adams Morgan, trained in the theater, has appeared in venues around the United States. He has narrated for National Public Radio and performed radio dramas and historical re-enactments. He lives in New York City.