The Straw Man and a Murder

(Review originally published at Red Adept Reviews.)

Overall: 4 1/2 stars (I'm rounding down when choosing stars, because I expect a lot from this author!)

Plot/Storyline: 4 1/4 stars

This is a short story, and so it's also straightforward. There's not much to complain about here. This reminded me a little of the Twilight Zone episode in which the kid wishes people into the cornfield - only with a way more sympathetic kid. I didn't fully buy a scene where the father had a friend over to drink and talk about the athletic prowess of the visitor's son. I can see this coming up in the natural course of things, but the way it was presented seemed ham-fisted.

Other than that, good tale, appropriately told for a length that doesn't lend itself to too much complexity. There are no big surprises here, but this was the sort of story where the pleasure is in knowing what is coming and waiting for that pay off.

If you want those surprises, you won't be as happy with this as I was - and you should read Sugar Daddy. If you aren't a fan of short stories, you won't like it as much either, which seems obvious, but often when I read reviews of short stories folks are punishing them for being short.

Characterization: 4 1/2 stars

There isn't a lot of depth or nuance here. Because of the length of the story and because of the tradition that this story is a part of, the style is broad, with the little boy being very good and his father being very bad, but that works. This is a horror story that wants the reader to see matters in simple terms and to see punishment doled out accordingly.

Writing style: 4 1/4 stars

I find the author to be ridiculously talented. If the writing isn't as effortlessly good as it seems, and when is it really as effortlessly good as it seems, then he can keep it his little secret. Still, I did feel like one more pass to tighten it all up a little would have aided the story.

I do want to ding Mr. Menapace for one thing. Without spoilers, let me say he explained something at the very end, perhaps because he very much wanted the reader to “get” the meaning/play on words. If you spell it out, you have to lose cool points. (Or a quarter of a point.) Not getting it wouldn't change the story in any real way and knowing it makes the reader feel all smarty-pants - until you EXPLAIN it. In all seriousness, it felt clumsy and took away some of the power of the ending.

Personal Enjoyment: 4 1/2 stars

This is an optional category for when we average it all out and the score just doesn't feel right. This is what we use to acknowledge that a story can be more - or less - than the sum of its parts. I had a little extra enjoyment reading this simply because when I read his earlier story, the often mentioned in this review, Sugar Daddy, I was so very impressed. In reading this, while I didn't enjoy it quite as much, I still saw all that talented that makes me think/hope Mr. Menapace has a long career ahead of him. It's cool to read an author you like and imagine you might get to say, “Yeah, well, I knew him way back when!”