Easeful Death Author:Ralph M. McInerny Poet and teacher Howard Webster is tired of a life that has not brought him the recognition he feels he deserves. When a bum ventures onto his property and then commits suicide in his Wisconsin barn, Webster seizes the opportunity. Swapping identities, he heads off to Italy, where he's perfectly content with his new, anonymous life -- t... more »hat is, until he spots a magazine article eulogizing one of America's greatest, late poets: Webster himself.
Like any mortal, Webster can't resist the accolades, and so he returns home, still in disguise, only to find that nothing is as he left it. A foundation has been set up in his name, and a dedicated, obsessive curator has taken over his farm and is cataloging his papers with a missionary's zeal. Webster's daughter, Felicia, is craftily making a mint off her father's name, and his ex-wife is battling for her share of the profits. Trying to make sense of this shifty, comical scene is Roger Knight, the brilliant (IQ of 160), obese detective who brings his mordant gaze to bear on this motley crew.« less