Reviewed by: Fredlet
Genre: Short Story Collection/Literary
Fiction
Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
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Author:
Mr. Crane
is an indie author of slice-of-life short stories, a series of drabble
collections, and a horror novella and novelette. He has also contributed to several
short story anthologies with other indie authors. Mr. Crane lives in Illinois
with his wife, two cats, and a chinchilla.
You can
connect with him on his Facebook page or blog.
Description:
“When a little girl's body is found in the woods, a once
quiet town is shaken to its core as it deals with the aftermath in this short
story collection. In these twelve stories connected
by a terrible tragedy, grown-ups and children alike try put the pieces back
together again without any easy answers.”
Appraisal:
I have to
say up front that I am a huge fan of Mr. Crane’s writing. I have read all of
his works, even the ones he doesn’t like to talk about. I was excited to see
him get back to writing another collection of slice-of-life stories. Pieces (stories) did not disappoint!
It is awesome the way each of these stories touch on the many
different facets, fears, complications, and choices faced as both a child and in
adulthood. Although the stories are complete read individually, every entry is
made richer by the characters’ reactions to the tragic event that connects them
together. Each one gets more personal as you learn details about who the
missing girl is and what happened to her. It is perfect how it moves from the
effects felt from hearing about the event, seeing it on TV, having it be located
in your neighborhood, and ending up with the feelings of the missing girl’s
best friend.
Here is how a few of the stories hit home for me. Dandyclean reminded me of the Beltway
sniper attacks when everyone was suspicious of white box trucks in the area;
also my dislike of door-to-door salespeople. In A Dangerous Place, I could hear my husband teasing me about being
too connected with TV, the Internet, and my cell phone hyping all the tragic
news and weather events. The ending was a big surprise for me! A Concerned Parent captures the difficult feelings parents
must have about protecting and keeping their children safe while fostering
independence. With all the abductions, murders, and shooting being reported,
it’s not easy to keep thinking it won’t happen in my neighborhood. Vigilantes was a tough read… the
emotions of what you would like to do, what you know is right, and how a
personal experience can change your thinking. I felt that the author explored
both the right and wrong with this situation and left it up in the air as to what
might have happened.
Format/Typo Issues:
No issues
found.
Rating: ***** Five Stars
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