Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the city in which all the novel's action takes place. Specifically, Beverly Hills is mentioned early in the book, although the exact location is never given of the two funeral homes where much of the story is set. Los Angeles is not described, except for the foothills as seen from the home of Sir Francis Hinsley, and the grounds of Whispering Glades.

Whispering Glades

Whispering Glades is the funeral home where Mr. Joyboy and Aimée work. It is described as a reproduction of an old English manor. A stone plaque in the shape of an open book sits at the entrance. On it is inscribed a pretentious and silly statement about the funeral home. The grounds apparently are vast, because they contain numerous graveyards, a lake, at least one church, a florist, and the rooms where bodies are prepared, displayed, and either...