This very short collection contains three thrilling and suspenseful stories that bring to mind a series of questions: What does it take to push a woman into insanity? Or was she always there? Who can you trust- your friends? Your coworkers? How good a judge of character are you? Are all risks worth taking?
The three stories in this collection are alike only in that they all contain a surprising twist (or two…or three…). As I began reading the first story, Intoxication, I was first distracted by the flat and somewhat stilted dialogue between the characters. As I read on, however, I became much more engaged in the story. The dialogue didn’t get better, but the plot held my attention and I paid less attention to how the characters spoke. The second story, Hitchhiker, was also quite compelling. I found the dialogue equally flat, but the plot almost made up for that. The final story, The Bike, was extremely short and I didn’t like it nearly as much as the first two. After two reasonable developed storylines, the last story seemed more like a rough draft waiting to be plumped out, or an unnecessary, last minute add. It had definite potential, but it was a disappointing end to an otherwise engaging collection.
The highlight of this collection is really the crafting of the plot. Written to hold the attention and bring the reader on a thrill ride, the general plot is well-crafted in the first two stories. On the downside, there were some places where some of the events felt a little abrupt, which disrupted the steady flow. There is a bit of a narrator’s voice in several places in the stories, and it didn’t always feel like it fit.
With a little more editing to catch the last set of errors and some revisions to the dialogue and abrupt plot events, the occasional rough edges should be smoothed out and the quality of these stories would elevate to a higher level. The author’s voice comes through clearly in these stories, and now the characters’ voices need to do the same.
Overall, I really did enjoy reading these stories, and they kept my attention until the very end. It was worth the read, and I’d like to see what other stories this author has up his sleeve.
3.5 /5 stars
Available at Smashwords, Amazon
Great review
Thanks- I appreciate it!