As a reporter for the local newspaper, Louis Beane is shocked when the tiny southern town of Highland Park is selected as the location of the new Hunter College. Funded by the mysterious New York modern artist Porter Talbot, the school is seen as a cultural blessing for the small community -- until it opens.

The school’s attempt to bring refinement to this highly-conservative town is a disaster, resulting in a series of scandalous performance art pieces that leave the community enraged. Suspicious, Louis and his gay neighbors, Nik and Peter, decide to investigate the deceased Mr. Talbot’s estate and the school’s (possibly) true motivation. Shockingly, their hilarious attempts at investigation succeed, and reveal an ugly chapter of the community they now call home.

The town’s church-fueled matriarch, Anna Hoss, eventually decides she’s had enough of the school’s antics, and whips her followers into a righteous frenzy. Faced down by Molotov-cocktail wielding townsfolk, rioting naked students, and an on-the-loose, unrepentant murderer, Louis remains committed to revealing the town’s sordid past as everyone around him goes

“Lewis’ debut novel, a farcical mystery, pits an immature newspaper reporter against an angry, conservative town…When Hunter College institutes a clothing-optional policy, there are some truly funny moments…An often entertaining novel…” --