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Book Review: The Greedy Three by Karen Katchur

The Greedy Three by Karen Katchur

Podium Publishing, Feb. 2023

ISBN: 9781039416307

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

Poor Noah Weber! All he wanted to do was transport an illegitimate baby (complete with a teenage stand-in mom) across the US border to sell to a wealthy Canadian couple. A simple plan like that: what could possibly go wrong?

Well, plenty! When the money drop part of the deal goes bad on the US side, a local hermit (who happens to be baby-obsessed) wanders across the aftermath, takes the money and hides it. Her cabin becomes the site of most of the book, as all three characters wind up there with their own agendas. The hermit, Hester, wants the baby; the teenage fake mom, Eve, has the baby but wants the money; and Noah wants both, so he can complete the deal. None of them trust each other, so it becomes a bizarre version of a Mexican standoff, with each of them looking to get what they want. There is a bit more to the plot, but that covers the basics without spoiling anything.

It’s a fun read. Katchur has proven herself to be a good writer over the past few years. The book varies between predictability, and wild unpredictability. There are twists that the reader won’t see coming, and there are some that you can easily guess. Example: since there is a baby in the book and most writers tend to loathe hurting kids or infants in fiction, you can probably guess what will happen. But the fun maneuvering between Noah, Hester, and Eve doesn’t go where expected, and there is some darkly amusing humor throughout the story, which gives the book its own flavor. The scene with the three of them fighting, while they are all suffering from a bad case of the trots and have to keep dashing to the bathroom is hilarious, warped fun. The interactions and squabbling between the three of them are the best part of the book. They are quirky, fun characters, Noah being the most entertaining.

It’s the book’s unpredictability that may work against it for readers that expect realism. One example is Noah and Hester. She hid the money and won’t tell him where it is, but he has the gun and control of the situation. Why not just beat it out of her, or threaten to shoot the baby, which Hester is obviously attached to? But…he doesn’t. Perhaps he really isn’t that bad of a guy after all, despite being involved in a sleazy business? Or, is it just too unrealistic to be plausible? That will depend on the reader. There are a couple other scenes along the same line, but by not taking the obvious path, Katchur allow the unexpected to happen, and it helps the storyline. Again, it may be too much for some readers, but most will probably enjoy it.

Although it is uneven at times, The Greedy Three is an engaging story of three people trying to double-cross each other, and the interactions between them are enough to carry the story across the finish line. The majority of readers will likely get a kick out of this.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Book Review: Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne

Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne

Lost Hollow Books, September 2022

ISBN: 9781938271540

Availabile: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

March, 1955. A handful of residents in a small Southern hick town get trapped in a mom n’ pop convenience store by a raging flood. What could possibly go wrong? Well, when one of those people is a soul-sucking demon masquerading as a Marilyn Monroe look-alike, a LOT can go wrong, and it does. That’s the basic premise of Isaac Thorne’s Hell Spring. It has its good moments, but may be a bit too slow and drawn out for most readers.

The setup chapters for each character before they become trapped in the store are the best sections of the book: well-written, and good enough to make the reader feel invested in the characters. They are an eclectic bunch, each with their own little secrets. The town piano teacher is hiding the fact that he’s gay, one lady isn’t mentioning that she just killed her abusive wretch of a husband…each person has their own little bit of shame or guilt. These secrets, and the guilt they cause are what the Marilyn Monroe succubus feeds on while trapped with the townsfolk. It’s the middle of the book, a couple hundred pages long, where things slow down and get somewhat routine. Everyone is trapped in the store, and one by one, the demon Marilyn feeds on their guilt and reduces the victim to a chittering crawdad-like creature. No one notices the disappearances, since she somehow alters time and perception around everyone. People just vanish, and the others don’t even know they were ever there at all. It’s interesting the first couple times but then gets repetitive, and bogs the narrative down. The story does pick up again towards the end, and has a kicker of a finish set decades later. Graphing the book, it would look like a peak at the beginning sloping down to a long, flat plain, and then another peak at the end of the story. There are some quick peaks in the middle that involve characters outside the store; that help break up the slow pace and get a different setting involved. Whether those are enough to compensate for the rest will depend on the reader.

Bottom line: there are definite high points, but the somewhat long middle section may not be enough to keep the interest of most readers. This is a story that might have worked much better in a slimmed down form, with the middle section involving the store condensed. A novella of the narrative might have been a perfect fit.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson