Greed. Envy. Sex. Property. In her subversively funny and genuinely moving new novel, Jane Smiley nails down several American obsessions with the expertise of a master carpenter.

Forthright, likable Joe Stratford is the kind of local businessman everybody trusts, for good reason. But its 1982, and even in Joes small town, values are in upheaval: not just property values, either. Enter Marcus Burns, a would-be master of the universe whose years with the IRS have taught him which rules are meant to be broken. Before long he and Joe are new best friendsand partners in an investment venture so complex that no one may ever understand it. Add to this Joes roller coaster affair with his mentors married daughter. The result is as suspenseful and entertaining as any of Jane Smileys fiction.