10 Bloody Slices

This is an eclectic mix of humorous, sardonic often sad stories about life, love, laughter and loneliness - 'life's rich pageant'. All the stories end with a denouement that contains an unexpected twist in the tale that keeps the reader guessing until the final page. First up is 'Do superheroes get depressed?' about a young actor struggling to make a name for himself through his none-too competent agent. 'Were Mel and Fred funny?' has many funny one-liners from a modern day 'odd couple' living in up-state New York. We then travel south, down the iconic Route 66, for the story of evergreen love and the aftermath of a tragic blues music story in 'Will Billy sing the blues for me?' Squeezed in between these US-located stories are 'Do Angels have birthdays?' and 'Was Michael Alexander Caruso a decent poet?' The former is an attempt at making sense of a near-death experience and the latter a story of missed opportunities and misunderstandings. 'Should he have confessed?' describes the time spent by the story's protagonist in France, both in the present time of the story and during the Second World War. You may need to know a little about children's television in the 1960s to fully appreciate the plot and setting of 'Do puppets have feelings?' a story about a partnership that disintegrates when one of the partners starts to believe in his own hype. Those who are convinced that computers have a mind of their own will sympathise with the young man at the heart of the story 'Could you blame him?' The penultimate story 'Should all bores be gagged?' is about a pretentious Fleet Street journalist who eventually gets his literary come-uppance. The final story 'Is November the cruellest month?' is a sad tale of family separation interspersed with the quest to apprehend a serial killer! This is really a great mix of stories to suit a wide range of tastes and interests. Enjoy!