Careful Readers

Mephisto collects souls. He wears a courier’s uniform, rings the bell, and hands over the parcel you have wanted your whole life. Then he asks you to sign for it.   

A Cuban American copyeditor in the last days of copyeditors. A novelist in Germany who sells well and still can't make rent. A cosplay bar hostess in Japan who reads Faulkner between customers. Mephisto owns a contract for all three, and for the first time his marks can compare notes. Each has dodged a creditor before. None of them intends to pay this one.  

From San Francisco to Baden-Baden to a Tokyo love hotel, the path to salvation follows translation, diaspora, and human connection. Three lives across continents, woven by a Faustian bargain, and a climax that pays off. 

A devil who deals in fire, brimstone, and fine print. The only weapon against ancient evil? Close reading.