The first book by acclaimed novelist and poet David Wagoner, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "a breathtaking novel filled with terror and pathos," finally back in print after 70 years... Middle-aged Charlie Bell, a crippled watchman at a railroad crossing, sees a woman thrown out of passing train. He takes the injured woman, and the briefcase she was clutching, with him in search of a phone. She's a reporter, and the briefcase contains papers that could destroy a corrupt Senator. But before Charlie can get her help, a thug attacks them and kills her. Now Charlie is relentlessly pursued through the Chicago underworld by cops who think he's a murderer...and killers intent on silencing him.

"A remarkable first novel by a powerful new writer. Compassion, sustained excitement, and acute observation of the Chicago locale make for a moving story." New York Times

"It has everything a mystery should have, but it goes one step further." Pittsburgh Press

"Wagoner's story is just as relentless as the forces groping and clutching for the doomed man." Richmond Times-Dispatch