Nick Cole’s Lee Marvin and the Long Night

Until recently, I have missed the allure of short stories, but after reading Nick Cole’s Lee Marvin and the Long Night, my reluctance to read the short-form has been annulled. This gem of a story made me want to light up a smoke, grab my tommy gun and go out for a night on the town. Right from the start the gumshoe feel really took hold and pushed me through the story. (I kept wanting to say..sshheeeee after every line.)

Lee Marvin knows the truth about the Long Night, but he doesn’t understand it. One night, at the behest of a snub nosed revolver, Mr. Norton Morris asks Lee for his help in escaping their shared prison. The key to their freedom rests in the hands of a mysterious dame, known only as, Dupree’s girl. The truth of the matter is, however, neither men know what will happen when they find her.

I immediately felt connected to the Lee (but not the actor) and enjoyed his commentary. Mr. Cole captured the essence and feel of the 20’s style noir crime drama and gave it a fulfilling twist. The story is short, but nothing was left out. Excellent dialogue and description, paired with a unique plot made this a very enjoyable read.

If you haven’t read anything by Nick Cole, give The Long Night a try.

Laura Metzger’s The Old Man and the Guitar

This is the first piece I’ve read from Laura Metzger and I have to say, I was impressed. The Old Man and the Guitar is a heartfelt, short read!

It’s commonly known that some of life’s most touching moments come when you least expect them. That statement is true for most things, and with the Old Man and the Guitar, Laura was able to capture that moment perfectly with this story. A glimpse into the life of a simple waitress, on any regular night at work, a night any one of us can relate.  

It’s what Mary learns this night, about the local Mariachi player, Cristobal, that will touch not only her heart, but I’d be willing to bet, your own as well.

A vivid example of how first impressions can be very wrong; sometimes people do things that we don’t understand, and that’s okay, they don’t need us to understand. It may be silly to us, but it may mean the world to them.

The events of this story happen within a matter of minutes and like all things in life, some of the things that have the greatest impact on our lives happen within the blink of an eye. I have to say, if Laura can pack this much emotion into a short story, I’m excited to see what she can do in longer works. Great read!

Chris Pourteau’s Unconditional

Not since I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, has a story pulled me in and made me feel for the characters without ever telling me their names. Knowing a character’s name is a large part of ‘knowing’ who they are, without one they’re likely to mean nothing to us. However, there are exceptions to this rule: example A, the aforementioned classic, The Road, and B, Unconditional by Chris Pourteau.

Unconditional takes place during some kind of zombie apocalypse. However, that fact is almost secondary to the story. Every zombie story I have ever read has been about what happens to humans and society after the undead have taken over, never giving any thought to how such an event would effect man’s best friend.

Without giving us a clue as to where we are, what happened, or why, Pourteau has crafted a story full of joy, sadness and terror, all from the perspective of a nameless dog. This tail (that’s right, I did) is unique in that there is no dialogue and the human characters are not in the forefront of the story. This is the first story I’ve ever read, told from the perspective of a dog and at first I thought this would throw me, but Chris pulled it off very well. The simple, loving nature of the dog is conveyed expertly and effortlessly.

I definitely recommend Unconditional! Not a fan of zombie stories, you say? I say, read it anyway, you won’t be disappointed.


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Without a doubt, Ernie Lindsey is a master. He doesn’t limit himself to a single genre, he writes in them all, and does it well. With Super he completely obliterated superheroes, in Warchild, he took us to a bleak future, where misery and death are the only constants, and now in his latest novel, Skynoise, he takes us on a ride through time, to solve one of the biggest mysteries in our past.

Helen Weils, a writer and historian, has spent months researching and writing her book on the mysterious events surrounding the disappearance of the colonist on Roanoke Island. She has spoken at several universities and has been dogged by the odd and annoying (and possibly insane) Chip Sledd, who never misses an opportunity to voice his conspiracy theories on the subject.

As Chip struggles to convince Helen that the Roanoke Island mystery is even more complicated that she knows, they find themselves in a race for survival. Relentlessly pursued by the man in black, this unsuspecting duo must work together to stay alive and solve the mystery of the Skynoise. With the fate of millions in their hands, they must not fail.

This roller-coaster ride of a novel, grabs hold and doesn’t let you go. Lindsey is a true genius when it comes to crafting true edge-of-your-seat fiction. Once I thought I had it figured out, he threw a curve ball and completely changed my expectations and when I finished, the answer to “Croatan” was truly mind blowing.

If you love time-traveling mysteries, filled with action and bone-jarring twist and turns, you won’t want to miss Skynoise. Lindsey is one of my favorite authors and I encourage anyone to add him to your list of must-read authors. He never disappoints.

Be sure to check out his other books, Super, Warchild, Sara’s Game and more on his Amazon Author’s Page. Lindsey was gracious enough to chat with me earlier this year when he released his superhero thriller, Super, check out that interview here and my review of Super here.