<DIV><p>Each of the characters in <I>Scouting for the Reaper</I> faces an unanticipated challenge: transporting a truckload of penguins across the country, arranging a proper Jewish burial for the remains of Gregor Samsa, selling tombstones dressed as a Girl Scout. These stories explore the domestic and professional adventures of people in over their heads, while leavening their struggles with humor.</p><p><B>Jacob M. Appel</B> is the author of more than two hundred published short stories and is a past winner of the Boston Review Short Fiction Competition.</p><BR></DIV>