Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Genre:
Contemporary Fiction
Approximate
word count: 55-60,000 words
Availability
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
David S. Henderson believes stories are meant to
entertain and make the reader feel any number of emotions. He holds the tenet
that a new idea must be different, completely unlike any other. This seems to
hold true with his writing as well.
Behind Is Where I Left It is Mr.
Henderson's third published work, preceded by a novel, The Worth of Things,
and a collection of short stories, Broken Christmas, which was a Big Al's Books and Pals 2013 Readers' Choice Award
Finalist.
You can find David S. Henderson on Goodreads, which houses a blog. He
also has a website to showcase his works.
Description:
“A compilation of three disparate tales which share a
common theme.
In the first, a burned out Las Vegas magician, reignites the drive, passion and energy he once held for performing when he takes his colorful cast on the road to free his falsely arrested brother in this fun, fast paced adventure.
The second story is a slightly dark, "day in the life" portrait of a salesman who is pretty sure he's lost his mind.
The third story is an uplifting tale about a young man who
finds out life's lessons are sometimes delivered when listening to the friends
around you.”
Appraisal:
Appraisal:
In The Amazing Kevin, the first of three stories, we meet Kevin
as he is being fired from his job as a magician at a rundown Las Vegas casino.
To make matters worse, he learns his brother has been arrested, on bogus drug
charges, and is being held in a Mexican prison in Acapulco. If he can come up
with $50,000 the lawyer who contacted him can make the charges disappear.
Kevin's world seems to be crashing in around him. As he heads to Mexico with a
couple of close colleagues he concocts a creative plan to bust his innocent
brother out of prison. Kevin is a smart man. His plan morphs into an elaborate
show of misdirection with the plot twisting and turning in unexpected
directions. The characters are all well developed for a story of this length
and the tale had a nice pace. It was fun watching the plan take shape and as
the showdown approaches it was hard to put the story aside. I was totally
surprised at the ending and found this story delightful and entertaining.
Oblivion Heights Commute is a
short story where things are not as they seem. This was an interesting approach
to Glenn's situation. At first glance it appears as though Glenn is leading a
boring day to day life until he realizes he may be losing his grip on reality.
In a way he is, but not like you would think. Mr. Henderson has taken a unique
path with this story.
Behind Is Where I Left It is my
favorite story in this collection. Told through the eyes of Edward Abbot who is
presented with a unique situation during his first year of college. Edward
seems to be an average student from a stable home who ends up rooming with an
extraordinary young man, Troy Foster, who wasn't as lucky. What develops is a mutually
beneficial relationship as Edward, Troy, and Troy's younger sister, Rose, make
their way into adulthood. The characters are well developed, realistic, and
engaging. The plot moves at a nice pace and takes us well beyond the first year
of college. This is a
wonderful, thought-provoking story. I loved that both Edward and Troy each had
an enlightened perspective to share with each other and I
enjoyed reading about their journey. Behind Is Where I Left It is the
perfect title for this story.
I really enjoy the stories Mr. Henderson tells. They are always
unique, honest, and insightful. However, there are a small number of editing
misses I would like to see addressed. Perhaps some beta readers would be
helpful? I think the stories are worth the effort to overlook these issues but
I know there are readers out there who don't feel that way.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A small number of editing issues, such as missing words, extra words,
and wrong words used.
Rating:
**** Four stars
No comments:
Post a Comment