The Lawyer, the Ghost and the Cursed Chair

by Ruth Sims

Lawyer H.L. Snodgrass has it all: a successful practice, a devoted wife and a passionate boyfriend. When he decides to sell off a family heirloom, his cozy life takes a drastic turn for the worst. Now, he and the ghost of his great-great-great grandfather have to get it back before a Gypsy curse destroys everything. Add in a furry junk dealer, a leaky waterbed and a nun in jail, and Snodgrass is in more trouble than Dickens ever dreamed up for Scrooge!

Genres: Short Stories

14 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Kathy]

Story has been told before but this was very enjoyable

[Ami]

"The Lawyer, The Ghost, and The Cursed Chair" combines the classic theme of kids fairy tale (one where the hero needs to suffer some unfortunate events to learn the errors of his ways in life) as well as Dickens' "Christmas Carol" for the use of ghost from the past. The result is one very entertaining -- and at some points very hilarious -- story, albeit being pretty short.

Here, we have the "fallen" hero, in form of H.L. (Horatio Lamar) Snodgrass IV, a very rich successful lawyer (with both wife and boyfriend, man is he lucky or what?!), who suffers bad luck after bad luck after he decides to get rid of an old chair that has been around his family for generations. The bad luck includes, among others: retainer not being renewed, secretary who quits, the wife who clears his account, sexual harassment, another man answering his boyfriend's phone, stolen cars, raped dog, stitches, as well as the lost of clients. The things that he must do to get the chair back is one that will keep you reading till the very end.

[Vicky]

Such a fun little read. It's a very short story but this humorous ghost story is just what the doctor ordered when the need to have your spirits lifted up arises. It had me smiling from the first page to the last. The main character is just so ridiculous that you, as a reader, can't help but feel some empathy for him even though he represents everything we should find annoying and disagreeable in a person, it's impossible to avoid looking down on this "poor little so full of himself ridiculous rich boy". He is exquisitely painted by the author. The storyline is fast paced with no excessive details and the ending is just perfect in my point of view. It's the perfect little book to bring with you to pass the time in a waiting room at a doctor or dentist's appointment.

[Elisa Rolle]

A funny short story about a greedy lawyer and a cursed chair. At the beginning of the story, H.L. (Horatio Lamar) is not exactly a positive character, and his boyfriend on the side (since H.L. is married) is more or less a kept man who will do whoever is paying more (i.e. he is like one another of the expensive toys H.L. is buying). But something happens and H.L. has to reconsider all his life. It’s all about doing good things to receive back good things, and H.L. will learn the lesson and his prize will be to be able to maintain his expensive toys, and yes, I mean all of them.

Really nice and funny story, I made a laugh or two reading it, and even if short, it was clever and perfectly packed.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BEDWHA/?...

[Ebook Addict Reviews]

Ruth Sims has penned a remarkably funny tale. In many ways, The Lawyer, The Ghost and the Cursed Chair parallels Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and the similarities had me laughing out loud. Ms. Sims’ version cleverly substitutes humor for horror and I was enchanted from beginning to end.

My only complaint is the book is far too short. It tells a complete story I didn’t want to end.

For me, this was a delightful romp through the re-telling of a classic favorite, with modern twists that kept me thoroughly entertained.


Eve

[Karin Wollina]

Great short story

[Tatterededges]

I really need to stay away from the 99 cent ebooks.