A Bag Full of Stones

A Bag Full of Stones is a literary crime story that examines right-wing violence in 2019 America. Immigrants and minorities are the vehicle of humanity that animates the novel. Naseem Nazari is an elderly engineer from Yemen, his partner Yasmin Haddad is Palestinian, while Sania Jamison is an American Muslim and Azar Bayat is a secular social sciences student from Iran. Detective Dmitry Volkov is a Soviet immigrant embroiled in his own gambling issues and sliding into crime. Detective Brenda Smith is distracted by her new relationship with Mary, a vet assistant. The book investigates the volatile mix of political views and strata in Portland, Oregon and contrasts the choices characters face based on their background and degree of privilege. Will Azar outwit her kidnapper and survive?