This is Smith's debut collection and I have to say I am impressed. Short stories are difficult to write and getting the right ending can be particularly tough. However, this is where Graham excels in adding that twist or trick ending that really makes a story shine. Some of his endings are surprising whilst others are plain quirky but all are cleverly executed.
Another thing I enjoyed about this collection was the “voice” of some of the characters within the stories. This voice was very strong particularly in the first story Under The Cover of the Streets and stood out well also in Bobby’s Bar.
A quirky and interesting collection that contains all the necessary ingredients for an entertaining read. Smith gives us humour, wit and plenty of action. He manages to get a surprising amount of story within a few words. Some of his tales convey precise descriptive detail and a clear sense of irony such as Shooting Stars. Other stories like the Kansas Kindred Killer showed good deal of plot development for a such short story.
The only negative is that a couple of the stories have a plot kink or two that with closer editing could have easily been ironed out. A great value collection that I would recommend.
Download 11 The Hard Way HERE
Sounds pretty cool.
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