Glenna Thorson

Admit it. You fantasize at times about delivering a nasty comeuppance to that rude, incompetent, uncaring parasite that lost your file or unfairly refused your permit application. But like most of us, you grumble and move on. The bureaucracy counts on it.

So when Brad Patterson loses his wife’s case playing by the rules while the workers’ compensation system plays dirty, he’s expected to move on with his tail between his legs. As most of us do.

But this time the frustrating line of omnipotent bureaucrats has crossed the wrong man. Now they’re playing by his diabolical rules, and only he knows it’s still game on. Losers in this game get a date with Brad’s blender, and the first date is always the last. Because Brad’s not like most of us. He used to be; but things have changed.

Before the fat lady sings, a paraplegic manager, a bible thumping doctor, a naïve case worker, the employer’s safety manager, an officer of the Public Records Commission, a prominent neurosurgeon, the lesbian partner of the employer’s claims manager, an innocent witness, the neighbor’s dog, and Brad’s best friend will all have something horrible in common. Something they don’t share with the rest of us.

Where does Brad’s wife Jane fit in all of this? Don’t tell her I told you, but…