A Theft of Crabs is a tale of a Virginia marine policemans efforts to investigate and solve a John Doe murder. The story takes place on a peninsula known locally as the Northern Neck and near and within the modern day towns of Warsaw and Tappahannock, Virginia. As the policeman works to solve the mystery, a back story unfolds of one slaves attempt to fulfill a commitment to his master, Francis Lee, a signer of the U. S. Declaration of Independence. The back story spans more than two centuries. The two stories ultimately converge to create a poignant ending.