An unsolved murder at the Quik Pik propels us into twenty-four hours of rich comedy and fast action in the North Carolina town of Marshboro. Two memorable presences are Granner Weeks, a white widow, and Fannie McNair, a black housekeeper. They know that people learn to live by living with each other--in each other's ways and in each other's hearts. "With these <I>JULY 7th and The CHEER LEADER</I> . . . McCorkle emerges as the most exciting young American writer of fiction to come along in years."--Cleveland Plain Dealer.