Review: "11 the Hard Way" by Graham Smith (flash fiction collection)

[Benjamin Sobieck]

Let's get this out of the way first. 11 the Hard Way is not the novel adaptation of a porno. It's a collection of 11 short stories from crime author Graham Smith. It's way better than 40 e-reader pages of "oh baby"s.

 

Some stories are funny, or at least have an ironic twist. Others are tragic. All are punchy in the way only authors from the United Kingdom can write.

 

Yeah, I'll make a sweeping generalization about crime authors on the east side of the pond. They keep things to the point. Here's your crime story, now shut your mouth before your face gets sandpapered with the grit of another one.

Graham Smith is no exception. His style is blunt in the most brutal sense possible. Like trying to find the give in the hurt side of a knuckle.

 

On that note, the best story of the bunch involves not a punch but a bullet. One coming from a sniper on a rooftop. He's aiming at an actress who made a personal attack in a public way. The ending is one of the most unexpected, most satisfying wrap-ups I've encountered yet.

 

Check out 11 the Hard Way by Graham Smith on Amazon for the Kindle, Barnes & Noble for the Nook or any fine e-book retailer. It's perfect for a quick crime pick-me-up. Or a punch to the face.