The Ultimatum

June 1, 2004
Moser's " The Ultimatum " is the story of teenager Jered Manson, who flees from his dead-end life in Steadfast, Kansas, to Kansas City. He's reduced to living out of dumpsters until a slick burglar named Jinko takes him in. Meanwhile, back in Steadfast, a waitress named Annie McFay gets saved, and her ne'er-do-well husband, Cal, gives her an ultimatum: it's Jesus or me. But it seems one of Cal's schemes-completing a collection of Barber half-dollars-is about to pay off. Anyhow it catches the interest of Jinko, who with Jered kidnaps the McFays in their Steadfast home and demands the Barbers. All is resolved in scenes that bring out the entire town in this likable if predictable tale. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)