What kind of community has citizens who trade wives for joiner's tools? You'll have to read the book to find out, but if you do, you'll also read about a prominent, highly respected citizen who shouted unprintable epithets while drenching a young woman and her kids with a garden hose on Main Street, a dog who trained his master to steal sheep, a 12 foot vampire mummy, several "shady ladies" who conned unwary men out of their money, not to mention tales of gory murder, anarchy, prison escapes, and uncontrolled lust, greed, and gluttony. Jackson, Michigan; just your typical 19th Century, Midwestern village.