In the Depression-era coming-of-age novella "Rain," a boy faces the inexplicable forces of suffering incarnate. A relentless battery of other stories include a frightening blend of horror, gore, science fiction, and realism: a trucker takes up the cross-country haul from Hell . in south Texas, an old rancher finally discovers what's been killing his cattle for fifteen years . in the backwoods of Louisiana, madness itself stands guard over the ruins of an old church . a British shop owner falls in line with a demigod's black designs . Combining an eclectic mix of flash fiction and short stories, "Arsenic Pills" offers a twisted new shot of poison on every page.