One star
When asked by Karner and Acquah to read their short story (and novel), I took the opportunity to try the former to whet my appetite. The idea sounded interesting, based on the Goodreads blurb, and I had a few half hour to devour this short piece of writing. Kerrie was a happy woman, ensconced in her painting one afternoon, with her son, Dwayne Jr., playing in the other room. A rap at the door alerts her that her husband, Dwayne, had been killed while on a mission overseas. From here, the story catapults to France, where Kerrie is attending an art event in Paris. When she is contacted by Nigel, apparently a British investigative journalist, to meet at a café, she agrees in the hopes that she can gain some insight into what happened to Dwayne. Little to either Kerrie or Nigel’s knowledge, two hitman await to infiltrate their meeting, in order to stop any information sharing. With Nigel taken out of the equation before he arrives at the rendezvous and a plant sitting at the café, Kerrie is kept from learning anything regarding her husband and is no better off than before she arrived in Paris.
If this review seems somewhat unplugged and scattered, I must say that I learned more from the Goodreads blurb than I did reading this short story. Perhaps the best part of the story was its brevity and writing style. While the story was flaccid, at least it was written in such a way that there is potential. However, potential does nothing when trying to lure fans or interest them in future writing. Karner and Acquah may have something they want to transmit, but fail to hook the reader from the get-go. If you cannot transmit a general idea in 24 pages, you’ve lost the reader. I cannot applaud or suggest this story to anyone, really, as it has little momentum or apparent impetus. Perhaps the publisher had a little money set aside and could publish this electronically, leaving Amazon to offer it up for free. Thankfully these 30 minutes helped fill a gap in my day and no more!
Messrs. Karner and Acquah, I am unsure if your full novel deserves my attention or interest. Perhaps I will have to read this again one day before diving in to sway my currently soured opinion.
Book Reviews to Ponder 