Spence Tailor, a lawyer with an actual set of principles, loves his mama, Rose. Rose - with advanced cardiomyopathy and a rare blood type - is scheduled for a heart transplant.

But when the president's heart craps out during a photo op three months before the national election, the White House chief of staff orders the FBI to seize the heart that was going to Rose - all in the name of democracy. But Spence isn't about to let anybody steal what rightfully belongs to his mom.

So with the help of his reluctant older brother, they hijack the heart, inadvertently kidnap a beautiful cardiac surgery resident, and take to the road in a '65 Mustang - with all the president's men in potentially murderous pursuit.

'One of the funniest, most off-beat thrillers in years.' The Times

'His wit and style are as compelling as his tightly wound thriller plots, and his thoughts on the world we live in are fascinating and, often, spot on... An awe-inspiring feat.' Washington Post

'Bill Fitzhugh just gets better and better.' Christopher Moore

'A thrilling tale of science run amok... laugh-out-loud send-ups of the madness of modern life.' Booklist