This isn't a book -- it's a short story for the Kindle and other formats -- but you should read it anyway. It's free, and worth every penny.
Joseph Finder is known for his best-selling novels, but occasionally he produces an entertaining piece of short fiction as well. He's done just that with Plan B, an action-packed story featuring his new series character Nick Heller.
Heller is working in Barcelona in Plan B, on a mission to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Ukrainian billionaire. He's staging a raid on the palatial villa of a wealthy Spaniard, but what he finds inside surprises even him.
I don't care for short stories as much as I do novels, even though they can be quite satisfying when done well. This can be a problem especially with the thriller genre, where unfolding a scenario and putting it through the paces in just a short span of words is daunting.
Finder does an excellent job of it, though, telling a fun and fast-paced story that is satisfying on its own accord, and also whets the reader's appetite for more Heller. (Along those lines, this Amazon Single also includes a preview of Finder's new novel featuring Heller, which will be released later this summer.) In the grand tradition of O Henry and Poe, Plan B has a nice twist to keep the reader guessing, something I always enjoy in a short story, and it finishes with an open-ended climax, allowing us to imagine what happens next.
Although Plan B will likely appeal more to readers who have already read Vanished, the first Nick Heller novel, it can certainly be enjoyed on its own. Finder never fails to deliver.
Noir Nation looking for submissions, and support by pledge of subscription price.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1925429247/noir-nation-international-journal-of-crime-fiction?ref=live
Posted by: Mr THomas Alan Thomas | June 22, 2011 at 05:05 AM