She knotted her brow in concentration while attempting to unravel the tangled strands.

Now Mr. Daniel Pimple was clad in white corduroy unwhisperables, and Mrs. Coffin was robed in Lyons black velvet ; anon by design, not by accident, did Mr. Daniel Pimple bring his right white knee in contact with the widow's left black one.

He sang the praises of Elmore Leonard, Chabon, Malamud and a host of tough-guy “manfiction” novelists, to use his affectionately satirical term.

Having established this ultimate, farcical commoditization of heroism, Robbins turns his attention to Carlos.