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All These Crooked Streets

Christian Laforet (Goodreads Author),

Ben Van Dongen (Goodreads Author),

Edmond Gagnon (Goodreads Author)

4.13 · Rating details · 8 ratings · 3 reviews

The streets we walk upon lead to many different places.
A strip club off the highway during a blizzard.
A cold case, thirty years unsolved.
A photographer, in over his head.
Three tales of bad decisions, poor choices and the lure of easy money. Authors Christian Laforet, Edmond Gagnon and Ben Van Dongen shine a spotlight on the seedy underworld hiding around the corner…in the ...more

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Paperback, 225 pages

Published November 4th 2017 by Adventure Worlds Press

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Average rating 4.13 ·

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Dec 31, 2017 Christine Hayton rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: rated-reviewed

Disclosure: I purchased a signed copy of the book “All These Crooked Streets” by co-authors Christian Laforet, Ed Gagnon, and Ben VanDongen at their book launch. I have met the authors and have had encounters with them on various occasions. We reside in the same area, and are all active in many book related events and activities. I had no communication with them at any time about providing a review. The comments that follow are my own personal opinions. I received NO compensation of any kind, or Disclosure: I purchased a signed copy of the book “All These Crooked Streets” by co-authors Christian Laforet, Ed Gagnon, and Ben VanDongen at their book launch. I have met the authors and have had encounters with them on various occasions. We reside in the same area, and are all active in many book related events and activities. I had no communication with them at any time about providing a review. The comments that follow are my own personal opinions. I received NO compensation of any kind, or from any one, to provide this review.

This book contains three crime novellas written by the three authors. They are all unique and diverse in their content and structure. I have rated each separately. I should also mention I am an avid reader, but crime fiction is not my genre of choice. I will not rehash the stories since they are short novellas and I don’t want to give anything away.

The first story “Sugar’s Last Dance” by Christian Laforet showed his ability to stretch into new territory and leave his horror writing in the dust. This story provided great insight into the main character’s desperation as we followed her in her quest to change her life. The fast pace and edge-of-your-seat conflict toward the end of the story proved easy to follow and I never lost track of the numerous characters involved. I did find some of the players a bit stereotyped and the ending just a bit too predictable. However, I really enjoyed the story and gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The next novella “The Decoys” by Ed Gagnon proved to be a formulaic police crime drama. The story tracked an unsolved murder from decades earlier. This was a complicated plot and skillfully evolved by the writer. The choice to tell the story through dialogue was generally effective, but I found I sometimes lost setting and character development. The conversations created a steady pacing, but lacked suspense. The twist at the end was well thought out and surprising. I enjoyed this story and found it original and unpredictable. However, I would have preferred a little more narration and a little less dialogue. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

The last story “Shootout by Ben Van Dongen” almost gave me the feeling I was reading literary fiction as it wound through the mental and physical depression of a desperate protagonist. The plot speeds along through a maze of ill-conceived ideas and bad luck dragging the reader to obvious conclusions—but ones we hope don’t actually happen. This story had me rooting for this pathetic hero. The supporting characters were comedic and the antagonists surreal. I loved all of it. The pacing was tight and the story well worth reading. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

This book is worth your time and energy and I would highly recommend it. Rarely do we find three quality writers in one volume. There are no disappointments here.

Overall rating 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Mar 13, 2018 Edele Winnie rated it it was amazing

Prepare for a wave of wickedness! It's hard not to give spoilers talking about this cool book, but I'll do my best.
It's three stories by three different authors, full of dirt and crime and occasionally, things buried in cement.
Laforet's Sugar's Last Dance delights with a plot that flip flops more than a fish out of water. The excitement is sharp as things come to a diamond ending! Well done!
Who doesn't love psychics and cold police cases? Gagnon's tale of old bones stirs up a fascinating st ...more

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Aug 03, 2019 Alex Fayborne rated it really liked it

I was pleased with all three of the stories in this book, but the last one left off on a cliffhanger and I'm interested to know what is going to happen. I feel like the authors want you to use your imagination, but I would definitely read more stories like these in the future. I love how they are local authors to my area as well.

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Nov 08, 2018 Christian Laforet rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

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About Christian Laforet

Christian Laforet

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Christian Laforet lives in LaSalle, Ontario with his wife, Lady, and his two girls, Lelaina Blue and Delilah Sunshine. He is co-founder and frequent contributor to the short fiction site, Adventure Worlds (adventureworldsblog.com).The rapidly growing website is shared among a group of writers who regularly post stories across all genres. Christian is also involved in several other projects and is ...more