A Chicago reporter tracks a killer who stones people to death while digging into his father's possible connections to the killer.
Jedidiah McElrathby follows the trail of a killer in Chicago who likes to use industrial materials to stone people to death. Haunted by his father's time as a reporter and by the elder McElrathby's current profession as a pastor, Jed struggles when his father becomes more and more a part of his investigation. The plot takes Jed from Chicago to Dallas and back again, where the Windy City becomes as much a part of the novella as any of the main characters. Noir-ish elements drive the quick and comical story, exploring existentialism and childhood religious experience.