God Lives in St. Petersburg is comprised of six short stories:

• Death Defier - Two journalists are stuck in war torn Afghanistan and taken captive. Favorite line, "He disliked such emotional nudism" (p 21).


• Aral - A biologist falls prey to a former KGB officer with a grudge. Best lines, "Hunger stumbled, heavy-footed, inside her stomach" (p 64).


• Expensive Trips Nowhere - A hiker's marriage is challenged when his wife develops a bond with their Kazakhstan guide. Best sarcastic line, "Jayne had stabilized into a teeth-clenched toleration of Douglas's parents, Park-and-Seventieth gentry who never understood why their son had settled for "some mousy midwestern girl" (p 96).


• The Ambassador's Son - Alec is a spoiled ambassador's son with a penchant for finding trouble. Favorite line, "Finally we had arrived at the shores of his unfaithfulness" (p 145).


• God Lives in St. Petersburg - a teacher finds himself in a terrible situation with a student.


• Animals in Our Lives - while walking around a zoo, a married couple watch their marriage disintegrate.

Bissell thrives on the theme of entrapment. Every story centers around a character's inability to get away from an unpleasant situation. Whether it be ugly people, bad drugs or heartbreak. ( )