<DIV>"Do you want laughter, suffering, and friendship, Rochester-style? Do you want to marinate in raucous sadness? I know you do. So be ready, everybody. Here comes the Vomit Cruiser to rescue your sense of humor, and Bill Peters to rescue your heart."?Sam Lipsyte, author of <I>Homeland</I> and <I>Venus Drives</I><BR><BR>"Full of madcap energy, swagger, and brinksmanship."?Fiona Maazel, author of <I>Last, Last Chance</I><BR><BR>Rochester, New York, 1999: An arsonist is loose on the streets of a city in decline. Gone are the days of Rioting in the Vomit Cruiser, searching for a possible Tokyo Rocking Horse. In this hilarious, wildly original debut novel, Nathan Gray and best friend Necro live by the code of Joke Royalty, a system of in-jokes known only to a select few. But as the reality of full-time employment, possible spouses, and Neo-Nazis encroaches, their friendship unravels, threatening their dreams of becoming Kodak Park Winjas.<BR><BR>Among the gravest Hellstacheries: Necro’s sudden interest in German World War II-era firearms enthusiasts, who may or may not be responsible for a series of inexplicable fires erupting through downtown. With no Holy Grail Points left to his name, Nate ventures into Rochester’s strangest corners to find out if his best friend is a domestic terrorist Pinning Bowties on the Dead or simply Maverick Jetpantsing on with his life?perhaps even beyond the limits of the City of Quality.<br><BR><BR><B>Bill Peters</B> grew up in Rochester, New York, and has received fiction fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the University of Massachusetts. He works as a copy editor for the New York Times News Service, the wire service for the <I>New York Times</I>, and lives in Gainesville, Florida. This is his first novel.<BR></DIV>