On April 29th, 2025, dive into the gritty underbelly of Portland, Oregon with A. Molotkov’s new crime thriller, “A Bag Full of Stones”.
In 2019 Portland, Oregon, someone is targeting immigrants – someone who calls himself The Corrector. Fueled by the hate filled rhetoric and right-wing violence on the rise in a post-2016 America, The Corrector sets out to cleanse the city of all those he blames for his problems. His steps are dogged by Detectives Brenda Smith and Dmitry Volkov. When Iranian college student Azar Bayat is kidnapped, it becomes a race against the clock – will Detective Smith and Detective Volkov catch The Corrector before he makes his next kill? Will Azar outsmart her kidnapper? Or will The Corrector succeed in his hateful mission? Molotkov writes about the hatred bubbling over in America with the deftness that only someone who has truly experienced it can in this riveting novel set against the animosity of present-day America.
“Insanity is America’s default mode. And justice, like sports, is about scoring points. Taste it all in this savvy, thought-provoking detective novel about ghosts in which a Lesbian and a Russian immigrant are the investigators and an Iranian exchange student must confront her kidnapper. Ay, ay, ay: it is all a farse,” said Ilan Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American, and Latino Culture, Editor of Restless Books (where the novel was a finalist)
“In A Bag Full of Stones,” A. Molotkov has rendered a complex world that is as tender as it is dangerous. The multitude of voices in this novel are both human and monster, both flesh and ghost. Through the eyes of these characters, Molotkov shows us a society unsettled by violence, hatred, dishonesty, and political strife. Yet a path through these myriad narratives is forged with determination, love, and our undeniable need for connection with others. Rocked with tension, mystery, and unexpected twists, “A Bag Full of Stones” is a new take on the crime genre, one that readers won’t want to put down.” said Brittney Corrigan, author of The Ghost Town Collectives.
Description:
“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 Haddadis Palestinian, while Sania Jamison is an American Muslim and Azar Bayat is 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?
About the author:
A. Molotkov is an immigrant writer. His poetry collections include, “The Catalog of Broken Things,” “Application of Shadows,” “Synonyms for Silence” and “Future Symptoms“. His novels, “A Slight Curve” and “A Bag Full of Stones” are forthcoming in 2025. His album, “Can You Stay Forever” was released in 2001. He co-edits The Inflectionist Review, loves to take photographs with dogs and mirrors, and plays + the Armenian duduk in his free time. In the late 1990s, he was part of the San Francisco multi disciplinary group, Discord Aggregate.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process. As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion. Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.