In All The Wrong Places

by Patrick Egan

This is a collection of seventeen short stories. Some of them are true. In these pages, you will meet with departed brothers, broken hearts, watchful gnomes, worried sheep, forest nymphs, seductive sinners and hopeful saints. Travel to an ancient Celtic hilltop, get lost on an Alaskan glacier or lose your way in the Northern Forest…at night. You may even find yourself in a tavern alongside a haunted hillside road, dropping quarters into a jukebox and waiting for Patsy Cline to sing away your blues, your fears and maybe even everything else you have in life.

Genres: Short Stories

161 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2013

About the author

Patrick Egan is the author of numerous articles on history, education and science that have been published both regionally and nationally. His first novel, "Standing Stone" was published in March, 2012. His second book is a memoir: "An American in Dorset." It chronicles his year in England (1984-84) as an exchange teacher. It was published in February, 2013.
He is a native of Owego, New York and has lived in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Louisiana and New York City. Patrick has traveled widely in the U.S., Canada, China, Russia and Europe. He was an exchange teacher to England for a year in the 1980s.
A retired science teacher, Patrick lives in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State with his wife, Mariam. His leisure interests include traveling, hiking, kayaking, needlepoint, astronomy, watercolor painting and photography.

Reviews

[E.A. Harwik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure why Patrick Egan titled this book, In All The Wrong Places, but that doesn’t matter, to me, because all the stories went straight to the right place.

This book is a fun read, a collection of short stories, offering a diversity of situations and experiences that are intriguing, enjoyable and entertaining. Patrick’s voice is soothingly powerful, always emitting, the ring of truth, which with some stories, the ones I enjoyed most, is quite unlikely.

Each story stands alone, and yet there is a reoccurrence of the outdoors, of vibrant siblings, wise tales and a confused sintering of light religion and the super-natural.

You could do worse then take this book to bed, to fight off cold or loneliness or perhaps just for the pleasure of being entertained. Five stars.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I do not typically read short story collections, but my experience with this one was positive and I look forward to exploring the genre more down the road. I found myself picking this book up when I had a few minutes to spare around the house and reading one or two stories at a time.

Patrick Egan made me yearn for time in nature, but my favorite stories were those that slanted towards creepy or spooky, specifically Patsy Cline Sings at the Devil's Elbow Bar .

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get their feet wet with an approachable short story collection.

[Jacke Brainard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is filled with stories that will remind you of your childhood,it will make you laugh and cry. For some of us, a few stories will remind us of Alfed Hitchcock,or Stephen King or maybe Edmund Crispen.. This is a must read