One Way Out: Tommy Pulls the Trigger

By Seymon White

Hen House Press

ISBN: 9780983460459

4 stars

Tommy Dushane lives in a small, rural town in Ohio — a place where nothing much ever happens and nothing much ever will. He wants out but doesn’t see a clear path to his big city dreams. His girlfriend, Dusty Jane, waitresses at the only restaurant in town and while she loves him, doesn’t necessarily want a way out the way he does. He wants the big city, excitement, the promise of a new life. For Tommy, there’s only one way to this shiny new life. Soon he finds himself on a would be interview with a small town criminal, get’s blinded by some fast cash, and when he realizes he’s in over his head, it’s already too late.

You can see how the lure of some easy cash can change a person, and it changes Tommy, a person who already wants out so bad he’ll talk to anyone who mentions a big city. He’s a good person who gets pulled in the wrong direction by his hopes and dreams. White does a good job of tugging on some emotions, even if they are fear and loathing — both of which Tommy has in abundance.

I have a soft spot, which seems to be growing, for dark, gritty tales. This one fits neatly in thriller, suspense, and crime fiction but I don’t want to say that’s it and be done. It’s a novella size book, the copy I read was around 80 pages, but I starting reading it at lunch and finished it shortly after walking in the door that night. It’s a fast read surely but a good one too. White is a storyteller. The dialogue was all believable and not once did I look up and wonder what I was reading. Crime fiction sometimes knocks me for a loop when the unbelievable happens but I had none of those moments here. And I powered though hoping the ending I saw coming would not be there. I liked the ending by the way but I’m not saying anything more on that point. For fear of giving away too much, I’ll stop there and say — if you’re looking for an interesting read, this one satisfies.

Hen House Press shared a copy of this book with me for review. This is the second book I’ve reviewed for Hen House Press, the first, Fiction Noir: Thirteen Tales, can be found here.