Inthese gritty, imaginative stories set in the mountains and small towns of theSouth—often in motels, theme parks, or resorts—men and women find themselves atthe mercy of an inspiration gone wrong: a man on a tryst is seduced by a ghost;a woman conducts a test to discover who is her true best friend—her husband orher dog; a beleaguered young writing professor goes one step too far whilechaperoning the famous writer he finds darkly alluring. In the title story, an ex-high-schoolbasketball player living an uneventful life in her small hometown as a cashier helps her boyfriend rob a lottery winner, and finds herselfon an epic journey of fear, deceit, and betrayal.