What is your opinion?
Nicely done
"I liked the story. Well written, nicely paced. It does remind me vaguely of another thriller that I've read (ex special ops guy running a charter boat service) but it's very much with the times. The trap at the end was cute, although the protagonist was taking a chance that Gerard wouldn't shoot him in the back of the head. Also, he didn't notice the cop cars in waiting when he came in, which was sloppy of him. All in all, nine out of ten for plotting, ten out of ten for atmosphere. (Also, nice touch regarding the guy who couldn't swim)."
:)
"Hello :) Thank you for a great read! I was hooked from the first paragraph. I thought I’d start reading it and come back to it later but I couldn’t leave once I’d started reading it. Enough twists and turns without it putting you in tail spin, I really enjoyed it."
Fun Noir
"Fun kinda noir-ish story line. You could picture yourself in the keys with the whitewashed buildings ,classic piers palms and fishing "ships". Simple but detailed and realistic. Could feel myself within the story as the character. Loved the flow and descriptions of the characters."
The Extra Postage
"I am partial to first-person narratives in any sort of mystery or spy story, and this one is certainly well-written. The author's style includes entertaining word-play. The characters are quickly established without being stereotyped. The satisfying payoff was unexpected, but the author played fair with the reader. "The Extra Postage" by David Ingram is a tightly-plotted, enjoyable yarn."
enjoyable
"First off, kudos on a good, hooking summary and opener! I enjoyed watching the plotline unfold and, even though I don't care about boat details, they definitely added to the authenticity. My only complaint, really, is that the villain spilled everything about his involvement with the mob. Aside from that, I found it quite enjoyable!"
The Extra Postage
"Ingram writes crime stories with an appropriate gritty texture that draws the reader into the plot--starting with the first line, which is just a few pithy words left me in no doubt as to what kind of story it was to be. Ingram's terse description paints immediately recognizable images, as in his description of the thugs who have landed the hero in the predicament the story centers around: "They could have modeled for the Easter Island statues, except their expressions weren't as intelligent." One piece of description that doesn't fit Ingram's style, however, is the 1st-person POV protagonist describing his own hair as "sleep-tousled chestnut". Really, David? Would Brick really care about that enough to mention it? And, in a short story, where every word counts, I deem that kind of description as superfluous. I point this out simply because it's the only bit of description that seemed out of place. Other descriptions, such as the vagueness around how many rooms Brick's house has simply adds to the color of the story or the earthiness of the character. Brick is very precise where it matters--like 10 mm--but doesn't waste time where it doesn't matter. Wit fills the story--the Easter Island allusion one such example. Then there were the "tweedle-dumbs". The dialog is on point and moves the story along. The story opened close to the finale and then flashed back to the earlier events that set the whole thing rolling. I found the initial dialog a little hard to follow as names like Diaz and Manny were tossed about, and I confess that might have been more an issue of my concentration than Ingram's writing style. The names sorted themselves out as the story progressed. The last sentence was brilliant, but another confession from me: I had to read it two or three times before I caught the meaning. All in all, it was an entertaining read by somebody who has made a point of understanding his genre. Good work, David! It's always a pleasure to read your work, and I wish you every success."
