“Sharp Terry O’Byrne, thanks for coming. I’ve got one hell of a problem, and I thought you could help me out.” Willy pumped my hand, then the weariness returned.
“What’s the problem?” I asked. I had picked up the nickname because I had good eyes, I noticed things, and I never forget a damn thing.
“One of my boys got whacked last night. I want you to see if you can figure out who did it.” A car accident? He was hiding something. He only brought me in for problems that were too weird for a regular gumshoe, or one of the cops he had on the take.
“One of your runners get the axe?” He nodded. “You sure it wasn’t the other guy?” Big Willy brought booze in on two-men boats. One man to pilot, and another guy to watch the pilot in case he got ideas. It was a good system.
“That’s one thing I’m sure of. It couldn’t be him.”
“What makes you so sure?” I asked. Big Willy hesitated. That was a rare thing. Was he frightened? I didn’t think he was afraid of God himself.
The Crash: A Sharp Terry Case File by Hugh J. O’Donnell is one of those stories that start with a lot of promises but then don’t deliver.
I liked the idea of the psychic detective a lot, especially in the Twenties. I liked the voice, very personal, colloquial and smooth. The dynamics between charactersat the beginning of the story are also interesting, but then everything starts to mess up. This is a short story and still, halfway through, I was wondering what was is all about. The plot seemed to meander, new characters appeared from nowhere and soon disappeared, and the mystery seemed to be just a pretest to tell… something.
Then comes the end, just like that, quite unlikely, without any apparent connection with the story. I was so baffled I wondered, is this truly the end? Or is this just the beginning of a longer story?
All in all, quite a disappointment.
—————————————————————————————————
Did you like this quote? Here’s a few things you might want to do.
- Head over to Bookshelf Fantasies, who sponsors the Thursday Quotables, and join in the fun.
- Post a quote on your blog and make sure to leave a link in the comment box below. I’ll be sure to visit and comment.
- Maybe you’ve read this author too and would love to share your opinion. By all means do it in the comment box below. I’ll never object.
8 Comments
Bookfreak 101
Too bad you didn’t like it. I just hate when you start reading a book, expecting it too be great, and then it just isn’t.
jazzfeathers
It’s really a shame. Especially when the idea isn’t bad at all and with some help (especially from a professional) could have turned into a very good story.
Aeriko @ The Reading Armchair
Well, this passage is intriguing. It’s a pity that the whole novel was disappointing.
jazzfeathers
It was mostly the end. The middle was a bit mindering, which I can stand, if the end it’s good. But the end was a total mess. Didn’t seem to be connected with the rest of the story at all.
Celine Jeanjean
Shame the story didn’t deliver – I liked the passage a lot! Says a lot that even though it’s a short story you still weren’t sure about the plot half way through. That to me says there are some serious issue with the plot!
jazzfeathers
Indeed there are in my opinion. Which is a shame, because many ideas and characters were actually interesting. That’s why I wondered whether this might be the introduction to a longer story… if awkward.
Amy
Sounds like an interesting quote but I’m sorry you found the book disappointing 🙁 I hope your next read is even better 😀 thank you for visiting my blog.
Have a great day,
Amy x
jazzfeathers
Uhm… unfortunately, I was quite disappointed by the book I’ve just finished too. It started out fantastically, I adored the first half. Then, I don’t know what happened, it just sank… I hated the ending.
Maybe I’m too demanding a reader 😉