Toppling in Murmansk

Book excerpt: In the grand tradition of "Tristram Shandy" and "Tom Jones", not to mention Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield, author John D. Foster takes us on a journey through the American landscape of latter day 20th century. It's a rollicking tale of being down and out, or in and out, with a smorgasbord of cads, cons and other characters who populate the daylight demimonde of Southern California on the fringe. Indeed, it's a fringe tale of the edgy, the offbeat and the oddball. These are tales not oft told, full of whimpers and whispers that are reminiscent of a whiplash in a hurricane.