SAMUEL SCHURKE suspects his grandfather, Leonhard Grundstein, a well-known novelist and a long-time friend of Ernest Hemingway, may have stolen Hemingway's early manuscripts that disappeared in Paris in 1922. Sam, a doctoral candidate, completed his dissertation on Grundstein’s work and only needs to survive the oral defense to get his degree. While he aims to sit tight until his Ph.D. is conferred, he spends his nights with a circle of artists and writers, including Alexandria Lawrence—an alluring, untethered painter—and Montgomery Grudge—a rival doctoral candidate and Hemingway scholar. When he stumbles upon a note written from Grundstein to Hemingway in an old copy of The Sun Also Rises at a public library, he finds himself hot on the trail for lost treasure with everyone he knows, it seems, on his heels—including his elderly aunt, Grundstein’s loyal daughter. As new discoveries emerge, Sam becomes increasingly fearful that the validity of his dissertation, the future of his career, and the reputation of his family hang on every decision he makes.To honor the untimely death of his good friend and writer, Johnny Lawrence, Sam builds his story upon numerous references to celebrated works of literature, continuing a game he and Johnny often played together. "K.M. Zahrt has created an intriguing literary mystery ... studded with nuggets from literature's great classics." --Jennifer Porter, The Tishman Review "In The Nature of Plots , K.M. Zahrt makes the life of a hard-drinking literary scholar in Hemingway country seem pretty darn exciting. Inventively plotted and laced with romantic encounters that would make James Bond blush, this research thriller takes on the big questions of art, life, and the legacy of The Lost Generation--and delivers a genuine surprise ending." --Andy Mozina, author of Contrary Motion and Quality Snacks " The Nature of Plots transforms the reader into the world of Samuel Schurke, a doctoral candidate, who embarks on an investigative journey that intertwines his family, friends, and research with the legacy of The Lost Generation. Using literary allusions like nourishing pieces of candy, [K.M. Zahrt] combines art, philosophy, mystery, and intrigue into a suspenseful plot that cleverly culminates to a surprise ending." --Jason Lee Brown, series editor of New Stories from the Midwest and author of Championship Run "Drawing its title from a passage in DeLillo's WhiteNoise , [ The Nature of Plots ] blends the historical past with the kind of truths that only fiction can offer: that exposing the past sometimes serves the greater good, sometimes merely one's own ego; that mortality can be met with dignity; that the plot of what might be today's 'lost generation' is worth rewriting. Through a masterful self-referential parody of memoir and diary genres, [K.M. Zahrt] insists that we all be lovers of story first and last..." --Mary Catherine Harper, author of Some Gods Don't Need Saints K.M. Zahrt is the author of ODD MAN OUTLAW and THANKSGIVING WITH POP-POP. THE NATURE OF PLOTS is his second novel. He lives in Michigan. For more information, visit www.kmzahrt.info or @KMZahrt on Twitter.