Photo by Nicolas Mirguet – – http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en

In 2012, I spent a few days at a writers’ conference participating in a critique group guided by mystery writer Ken Kuhlken. His most recent newsletter offered his readers a free Smashwords download of the short work Road Kill, Mystery Authors on the Book Signing Circuit. So I grabbed my copy and tagged along (all 40 pages) as Ken and his touring buddy, Alan Russell, endured the indignities of cheap hotels and empty bookstores, all for a few hard copy sales of their mystery novels. The nightmarish experience is redeemed by the writers’ ruthlessly honest, sarcastic wit.

As my mother would say, “may as well laugh as cry”.

Recommended for a cold splash of reality and biting humor. You can read it in one sitting.

(On my blog Long Ago and Far Away, I have recently explained why I am no longer writing formal book reviews. I do reserve the right to comment on my current reading and so – there you have it. No starred reviews – just commentary and random responses.)