"But I tell you, I thought I'd never get over the shock of finding Wesley Lloyd dead as a doornail, slumped over the steering wheel of his new Buick Park Avenue. Steel gray with plush upholstery, parked right out there in the driveway." Chap. 1, p. 2

"Besides, Lillian was a capable, self-assured woman, unlike me, who had to ask Wesley Lloyd what I thought about most every subject. She had a lot of common sense, too, in spite of that gold tooth she had put in a few years back. In fact, I put more stock in what Lillian thought than I did LuAnne Conover, who had to tell anybody who'd listen how important her husband was." Chap. 2, p. 9

"'I've thought about it,' I said. 'And he has some choices. He can stand up for himself and face them down alongside of me. Or he can hide in...