The eight tales in this collection by Nancy Etchemendy weave great suspense with interesting plots and unusual characters. "Lunch at Etienne's" is a story narrated by a woman who is surrounded by death but doesn't seem to realize it. "Cat in Glass" is about a mysterious, malevolent sculpted cat that commits gruesome murders and is told from the point of view of the sculpture's frightened and bewildered owner. There is also "The Sailor's Bargain", a captivating story about an orphan whose haunting dreams lead to a stark revelation of another life, and "The Lily and the Weaver's Heart", in which a one-eyed Jacinth dares to take her place in a cruel world by risking a journey that is usually reserved for the most able-bodied men of the culture.