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trudilibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I downloaded this ebook for 99 cents for one reason only, and that is because it features a story by Ryan C. Thomas. I've only read his [b:The Summer I Died|891472|The Summer I Died|Ryan C. Thomas|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179233761s/891472.jpg|876713] so far, but that short novel impressed me so much that I will continue to seek his work out in any shape or form I can get it.
For me, two stories really work, while two -- the first and last -- fail miserably.
Not surprisingly, the Ryan C. Thomas story is one of the two that really work. In Choose we meet unassuming Peter Baker -- husband, father, and computer repair shop proprietor. One day Peter is assaulted and his life threatened by a hulking, shadowy figure who says he knows Peter but refuses to identify himself. He demands that Peter pay for a past sin and gives him twelve hours to "choose" -- the life of his wife or the life of his daughter. If Peter doesn't choose which one to kill, both will die.
There is a pretty nice build-up of tension and suspense here, and parts of the story reminded me of King's novella Secret Window, Secret Garden -- the elusive, unknowable villain in Choose reads a lot like John Shooter. There is a "just desserts" twist to this one too, a revenge story worthy and seemingly ripped from the pages of Tales from the Crypt or the Vault of Horror. Nice and pulpy!
The other story that works extremely well is The Mushrooms by [a:Gregory L. Norris|617249|Gregory L. Norris|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]. Here we meet celebrity chef Sunny Weir who is at the pinnacle of her career publishing yet another cook book when she is violently attacked by an enraged fan who claims Sunny stole one of her recipes. Sunny survives the assault, but her attacker goes on to commit suicide. Sunny decides to escape to her island retreat to heal and contemplate her future, thinking her nightmare is over ... when it has only just begun. This one is deliciously (no pun intended) creepy and a whole lot of fun. Like Choose, there is a pulpy, Tales from the Crypt vibe going on with revenge as the main course. Yum!
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