The three stories in this collection are alike only in that they all contain a surprising twist (or two...or three...). As I began reading, I was initially distracted by the flat and somewhat stilted dialogue between the characters. As I read on, however, I became much more engaged in the story. The dialogue didn't get better, but the plot held my attention and I paid less attention to how the characters spoke. The second story, Hitchhiker, was also quite compelling. I found the dialogue equally flat, but the plot almost made up for that. The final story, The Bike, was extremely short and I didn't like it nearly as much as the first two.  After two reasonable developed storylines, the last story seemed more like a rough draft waiting to be plumped out, or an unnecessary, last minute add. It had definite potential, but it was a disappointing end to an otherwise engaging collection.

The highlight of this collection is really the crafting of the plot. Written to hold the attention and bring the reader on a thrill ride, the general plot is well-crafted in the first two stories. On the downside, there were some places where some of the events felt a little abrupt, which disrupted the steady flow. There is a bit of a narrator's voice in several places in the stories, and it didn't always feel like it fit.

3.5 /5 stars (Full review @ MotherLode blog [...])
The three stories in this collection are alike only in that they all contain a surprising twist (or two... or three... ). As I began reading, I was initially distracted by the flat and somewhat stilted dialogue between the characters. As I read on, however, I became much more engaged in the story. The dialogue didn't get better, but the plot held my attention and I paid less attention to how the characters spoke. The second story, Hitchhiker, was also quite compelling. I found the dialogue equally flat, but the plot almost made up for that. The final story, The Bike, was extremely short and I didn't like it nearly as much as the first two. After two reasonable developed storylines, the last story seemed more like a rough draft waiting to be plumped out, or an unnecessary, last minute add. It had definite potential, but it was a disappointing end to an otherwise engaging collection. The highlight of this collection is really the crafting of the plot. Written to hold the attention and bring the reader on a thrill ride, the general plot is well-crafted in the first two stories. On the downside, there were some places where some of the events felt a little abrupt, which disrupted the steady flow. There is a bit of a narrator's voice in several places in the stories, and it didn't always feel like it fit. 3. 5 /5 stars (Full review @ MotherLode blog [... ])