In Ireland, a few decades ago, an aristocratic man (Macarthur) approached a stranger. This stranger was sunbathing; Macarthur said, "I'm taking your car." The stranger (a woman named Bridie) became upset; Macarthur picked up a hammer and beat her until she was nearly dead. A few days later, Macarthur arranged to purchase a gun from a man. He thought that he would ask to hold the gun, then just run away (having successfully pulled off a theft). But, for mysterious reasons, he pulled the trigger and murdered the vendor. Around this time, also, the woman named Bridie died in a hospital. Could the story get weirder? Yes. Macarthur became a national figure; while in prison, he inspired a serious literary work, The Book of Evidence , by John Banville. After his release from prison, Macarthur would haunt John Banville. There would be a Banville reading at a bookstore--and Macarthur would appear in the back, watching as Irish citizens asked questions about the fictional Macarth...