In the second installment of Tom De Haven's rollicking trilogy, the legendary and misanthropic cartoonist Walter Geebus is hospitalized with a mysterious ailment in 1936 New York. Did someone poison the bastard--again? Narrated by Al Bready, a lightning-fast author of pulp fiction, this screwball noir is populated by an unforgettable cast of characters, many of whom have good reason to despise Geebus. A wild and bittersweet look at the cutthroat world of professional cartooning, and peculiarly incisive look at Depression-era America.