Sticky Fingers by JT Lawrence: Not horror, but at least a little twisted.
For some reason Amazon rejected my original review. Of course they didn’t tell what guideline I violated so I could fix it, nor did the “edit” button actually give me the option to edit what I already submitted, so I’m going to post the original version here and a simplified review on Amazon.
The original review follows, and its a LONG one.
Not horror, but at least a little twisted. A decent collection overall.
With an hour-long commute to and from work, I live off of short horror podcasts. So, when Sticky Fingers showed up for free in my bookbub bargains list I couldn’t resist picking it up. How could you go wrong with “Light horror meets psychological suspense in these deliciously bite-sized tales”?
Unfortunately while it didn’t go wrong, it didn’t go right either. It was a mixed batch of stories, some which were very good and others which were… Not for me.
Here is my (mostly) spoiler free review of each story.
Bridge Gate — 4 stars
These days pen pal type stories are a rarity and that was fairly obvious in this story’s execution. Many of the letters felt more like emails or texts and would have benefited from having date stamps. The educational approach was particularly welcome as I found myself wanting to correct the grammar as well. Despite that dad still came across like a jerk. Ultimately they did their job in portraying the characters to us, but unfortunately they also made the “twist” quite obvious. If the title itself didn’t already give it away the letters themselves quickly did. Despite not living up to the anthology’s promised twist or suspense it was a solid short.
The Itch — 2 stars
I was not a fan of this one. Despite being thematically appropriate I found the fragmented writing to be annoying. I also found it to be too unbelievable even though google assures me it is actually possible. While I did not enjoy it, I won’t actually discourage others from reading it (unless they are squeamish). It seemed to be well presented overall.
Gold Digger — 4 stars
Huh. This was an interesting story and one whose ending did surprise me a bit. It was an interesting relationship, and somewhat subverted the traditional relationship power balance. Well worth reading.
Traveling Slacks — 2 stars
The reviewer from hell. This was unfortunately TOO realistic in my opinion and his personality left me very irritated. The resort he stayed at sounds absolutely wonderful at least!
Something Borrowed — 3 stars
This is a story where you can guess how it will end from the first page. Despite that, it still manages to surprise you with the details around the “how”. Well presented and tragic, but also a hint of sweetness. A good story but not for me.
She Did It — 2 stars
This was another story which really didn’t work for me. An apparently schizophrenic cop is interviewing a murder suspect. She admits to doing it. Her reason for doing it is the twist. It was a fairly cynical story and not one in which I particularly liked either character.
Grey Magic — 5 stars
A fascinating monologue from a Grey Witch. It’s fairly slow paced and raises a lot of questions about morality. Definitely worth the read.
Pidgeon Pair — 3 stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect about this story based on the name, I had initially thought the point was to compare the human main characters with the pigeons. I certainly hope that wasn’t the point as that would mean the story was a big miss and deserves a lower rating. I found the characters to be unlikable, though they did have a realistically portrayed relationship. This story was strictly “ok”, not worth skipping but not memorable either.
The Little Pink Book — 4 stars
A tale about a midwife with an ending that caught me off guard. A strong addition to the book.
Off The Hinge — 2 stars
I am being generous when I give this story two stars. The title says it all, the main character is unhinged. I didn’t enjoy it, but at least it was well presented… I think.
Sticky Fingers — 4 stars
It struck me as odd that the title story was the second to last instead of the first or final story. After finishing it the reason was clear, it was enough of a downer that it would likely turn reader’s off from the future books in the series. As the title suggests, this story focuses on the misadventures of a thief. It’s well presented and feels like a realistic portrayal of a kleptomaniac.
Escape — 3 stars
At this point I am ready to escape this book! As for the story itself, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. As anyone who has children can tell you, it’s certainly realistic and does a reasonable job of explaining why toddlers seem to be danger magnets. Its ending is also surprisingly upbeat, certainly happier than the previous story. Good, possibly memorable, and interesting to read.
Overall the stories in this book varied a lot. Some were really good, some were not. I have no interest in reading anything by this author again, but I’m glad I read it.
3 stars overall
Thanks for reading! Please let me know in the comments if you figure out why they rejected it!
If you want me to write more reviews, feel free to send book recommendations (or even books) my way. If you are feeling particularly generous you could always buy me a coffee, but really just letting me know you found my review interesting is enough!
