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Lapham introduces some new characters in this volume and only time will tell if they turn out to be significant players but already you can see that they are linked in some way to each other and to the characters that have come before in this series. One of the amazing thing about this book is how each story is a great stand alone piece, but as the series goes along you find the almost tangential links between characters and you begin to get a sense of the greater story that is being told.

This volume starts with one of the best examples of skilled a short story writer Lapham is, "While Ricky Fish Slept". Within the span of 22 or so pages, he introduces two characters, Kathy and Jack, and fleshes out their characters and enough of their back story through conversation, mannerisms, and expressions. It is actually an effective love story between a drunk cop and the lonely wife of the man who owes him money. I hope to see more of both of these characters in the future but even if we don't, their story is perfect as is.
Another great story is "Live Nude Girls" which introduces another new character, a lonely woman who finds that she can get men to do anything to have her. She sets out to prove this in an unforgettable scene when she seduces a man at his own wedding.
There is also an entertaining "Amy Racecar" story. These stories always feel out of place to me in this book because they are so less grounded in reality than the other stories but this is a fun take on old Hollywood murder mysteries.
(A)

Posted at August 2, 2004 1:46 PM