Limerock: Maine Stories [Paperback]

The stories show the conflict between locals and "summer people"; between wealthy people and poor; between black people and white; between old and young; between gay and straight. Some stories show the difficulties of aging or illness.

I agree with the previous reviewer who praised "Detour". It's a great story about a childless man who tries to protect a little girl from her unstable family members.

"Uncle Cub at Paradise Fair" is very funny at times. The behavior of some of the characters is so appalling that it's also darkly funny.

"The Tip" is an affecting story showing the same event from two different points of view. It probably should seem corny or preachy, but the author manages to avoid those pitfalls.

You might be surprised how much tension there can be in a story set in Maine (particulary since they lack supernatural elements). "The Best in the World", "Detour", "A Clock in San Diego", and "Holly Point" stand out in my mind as tense stories.

The book is a very nicely designed trade paperback with comfortably sized print. My only complaint is that some pages were missing from my copy. It jumps from page 22 to page 27. Fortunately the missing pages were the beginning of a story rather than the *end*. Also, I was lucky it was one of the stories I had read already in another book. (The story is "The Glow of Copper".)

I enjoyed the book. Hopefully it will be followed by an anthology of fantasy and suspense stories. I'd also like to read another of the author's suspense novels.

The stories show the conflict between locals and "summer people"; between wealthy people and poor; between black people and white; between old and young; between gay and straight. Some show the difficulties of aging or illness.

I agree with the previous reviewer that praised "Detour". It's a great story about a sterile man (?) who tries to protect a little girl from her unstable family members.

"Uncle Cub at Paradise Fair" is very funny at times. The behavior of some of the characters is so appalling that it's also darkly funny.

"The Tip" is an effecting story showing the same event from two points of view. It probably should seem corny or preachy, but the author manages to avoid those pitfalls.

You might be surprised how much tension there can be in a story set in Maine (particulary since they lack supernatural elements). "The Best in the World", "Detour", "A Clock in San Diego", and "Holly Point" stand out in my mind as tense stories.

I enjoyed the book. Hopefully it will be followed by an anthology of fantasy and suspense stories. I'd also like to read another of the author's suspense novels.