Portraits In The Dark Nancy O Greene iUniverse ISBN: 0-595-39280-6 Fiction, Short Stories Reviewed by Dave Thompson

A slender but remarkably intriguing read, Portraits In The Dark comprises nine short stories balanced neatly on the line that separates hope from hopeless despair.  The cast of characters and scenarios is fascinating: a down-at-heel salesman on the loose in Bangkok, a cuckolded husband seeking revenge; a healthy dash of Gothic madness and historical intrigue, oh, and an almost chillingly matter-of-fact depiction of the end of the human race, which fittingly closes things out.  Everyone was dead by the end of five months is a gripping first line for any story, but The End merits its finality.

A sharp, economical writer, Greene’s thoughtful merging of the mundane with the mysterious grants her stories an impact that belies their brevity, and one hopes to hear more from the Maryland resident.  In this volume, her portraits are mere cameos.  Perhaps, next time, she will be working with landscapes.

HOME    REVIEW REQUEST     PROMOTIONAL PACKAGES     BE A REVIEWER     PAST REVIEWS     SITEMAP    CONTACT