This is another wonderful book of short stories by Patricia Abbott. The 23 stories in this book were published earlier under a similar title but only in e-book format. This is a reissue, making the book available in trade paperback and e-book.
Many of the stories in this book fit within the crime fiction genre and most of them look on the darker side of life. Often misfits or small-time criminals are central to the story. But some of the stories have a humorous side too.
Here are brief descriptions of my favorites in the collection:
- In “Georgie," Rufe and his friend take care of a problem for Rufe's mother. Lucky for Rufe, Georgie is very resourceful although he is fourteen and still in grade school in a "special" class.
- The title story, “Monkey Justice," is about a man who gets two women pregnant; they both deliver their babies on the same day in the same hospital. No crime in that story, but an unusual premise.
- “On Paladin Road” is a haunting story about the ravages of old age. Two men have lived in the same subdivision for years. Donald is 85, Martin is 65. They have an ongoing disagreement about some borrowed tools.
- "What Happened Next" is a sad story about a mother coming to visit her grown son; she has not seen him since he was five.
- “The Tortoise and the Tortoise” is a fantastic story about a man in a nursing home who has been very popular, but gets pushed out of the top spot when a new male resident arrives.
- “Girl Of My Dreams” is about a very bad boss getting his just desserts.
- “Raising the Dead” is a short story featuring Violet, a photographer, and Bill Fontenel, her boyfriend, characters in Abbott's second novel, Shot in Detroit. I enjoyed that brief look at those two characters again.
There are many more great stories in this book and I will be revisiting them all.
I highly recommend this book and others by Patricia Abbott. She has written two novels, Concrete Angel and Shot in Detroit, and a book of short stories, I Bring Sorrow.
Also see these reviews...
at Crime Time
at Kevin's Corner
And an interview at In Reference to Murder.
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Publisher: Down & Out Books, 2019
Length: 247 pages
Format: Trade paperback
Setting: Varied
Genre: Short stories
Source: I purchased my copy.
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