Blue Deer, Montana, may seem to be a tranquil little town nestled in a valley at the foot of the Crazy Mountains, but an influx of writers, artists, and actors has driven its inhabitants a little nuts. When someone uses a rifle on George Blackwater as he's working on his new screenplay, Sheriff Jules Clement figures the trigger finger has to belong to George's large and angry wife, Mona, who has been on the rampage since George's latest batch of affairs. But soon the number of killings and potential killers multiplies, and Jules is surrounded by a variety of annoying and promiscuous suspects: bitch-on-wheels Ada Santoz, owner of the town newspaper; Ray Blackwater, George's not-very-nice brother from New York City; Roger, the L.A. producer from hell; and George himself, still unhinged by something that happened twenty years ago. Jules is no angel, either, and as he reluctantly digs into the seamy side of his hometown, he finds himself swamped by bad dreams, bad press, his own multiple lovers, and an increasing distaste for his job. The Edge of the Crazies is a wickedly brilliant debut from a supremely talented novelist.