It is the 1930s in the American Midwest. Buddy Sandifer, dressed in his natty white flannels, baby-blue shirt, striped tie, tan-and-white shoes and coconut straw hat with polka-dot band, is falling into one of his moods.

Owner of a used-car lot and father of a 15-year-old son with a penchant for sex manuals, Buddy has decided to murder his wife and marry his mistress Laverne. A robust blonde, she cooks his favorite meal of fried pork chops while wearing a short pink apron over black lace step-ins and brassiere, silk stockings and platform shoes. Buddy's only problem is how to arrange the crime.

"An exquisitely constructed novel, full of secrets and surprises...exhilaratingly bawdy and tricky...Berger's tenderest, most touching work." (Newsweek)