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SNAPSHOTS: A Short Fiction Sampler
Snapshots - 12 shots of the dark stuff: noir, crime and horror.
A short, sharp collection of 12 blackly comic slices of flash fiction from Paul D. Brazill, author of Gumshoe, Guns Of Brixton and Roman Dalton - Werewolf PI.
A short, sharp collection of 12 blackly comic slices of flash fiction from Paul D. Brazill, author of Gumshoe, Guns Of Brixton and Roman Dalton - Werewolf PI.
53 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2012
10 people want to read
About the author
Paul D. Brazill
99 books172 followersPaul D. Brazill is the author of A Case Of Noir, Guns Of Brixton & Roman Dalton- Werewolf PI. He was born in England and lives in Poland.
He is an International Thriller Writers Inc member whose writing has been translated into Italian, Polish and Slovene.
He has had writing published in various magazines and anthologies, including The Mammoth Books of Best British Crime 8,10 and 11, alongside the likes of Ian Rankin, Neil Gaiman and Lee Child.
He edited the best- selling anthology True Brit Grit – with Luca Veste.
He is an International Thriller Writers Inc member whose writing has been translated into Italian, Polish and Slovene.
He has had writing published in various magazines and anthologies, including The Mammoth Books of Best British Crime 8,10 and 11, alongside the likes of Ian Rankin, Neil Gaiman and Lee Child.
He edited the best- selling anthology True Brit Grit – with Luca Veste.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 3, 2014
I like these stories – there’s a large cross-over from Brit Grit, which is no longer available. I did recommend you buy that book – if you didn’t, for whatever petulant reason you may have had, then buy this one. It cost 77p on Amazon.
There are some who turn their noses up at cheap books. I’ll tell you now that price is not a signifier of quality. No doubt if you were to measure the total quality of every book selling for less than two-pounds against the total quality of every book above that threshold the higher priced books would win out. If you did all your book buying based on that cut off you’d end up with some real stinkers and you’d miss out on books like this. If you buy this book, read it, and decide that your 77 pence could have been better spent elsewhere then walk away now, for you are an ape.
The humour is the thing which stands out most for me. A very dark humour lingers below the one liners and the smart repartee. You laugh and then wonder why – because death is not funny and neither is eating murder victims – then you stop wondering and read on. There is also the ease – this man, Paul D. Brazill makes it look easy. He’s the Velvet Underground of short noir. Who will read this book without picking up a pen and trying to emulate him.
There are some who turn their noses up at cheap books. I’ll tell you now that price is not a signifier of quality. No doubt if you were to measure the total quality of every book selling for less than two-pounds against the total quality of every book above that threshold the higher priced books would win out. If you did all your book buying based on that cut off you’d end up with some real stinkers and you’d miss out on books like this. If you buy this book, read it, and decide that your 77 pence could have been better spent elsewhere then walk away now, for you are an ape.
The humour is the thing which stands out most for me. A very dark humour lingers below the one liners and the smart repartee. You laugh and then wonder why – because death is not funny and neither is eating murder victims – then you stop wondering and read on. There is also the ease – this man, Paul D. Brazill makes it look easy. He’s the Velvet Underground of short noir. Who will read this book without picking up a pen and trying to emulate him.
August 8, 2013
Another excellent short story / flash fiction collection from the consistently excellent Mr Brazill who, for me, is an unsung hero of the literary world. His writing is terse whilst maintaining powerful descriptions, the dialogue is snappy and clever. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read from a thoroughly nice guy.
April 10, 2012
Paul D. Brazill is one of the most accomplished short story writers on the crime writing scene today. If short fiction were as popular as novels then I feel sure that he would be a household name. His wry observations on life are as accurate as a sniper’s bullet. His humour is as sharp as a butcher’s knife. His insight as deep as any philosopher’s. His tales are populated by drunks, drug addicts, ne’er-do-wells, hitmen and even werewolves. Musical references pepper these stories giving a satisfying grin to the music lovers among us.
This collection is called Snapshots and that is exactly what you get, glimpses into other lives. The author shines a light into the dark corners we dare not explore in reality. Here are some “Snapshots” from some of the stories:
FLASH A man surveys the Warsaw skyline from a glass lift.
FLASH an accountant looks up worriedly from a record store counter, his concern worn like a mantle.
FLASH A tattooed escaped convict beats a victim black and blue.
FLASH A stunningly beautiful woman slams a wedding ring down upon a bar top.
FLASH A man falls drunkenly into a fountain in Sol.
FLASH An old man clutches a bottle of whisky and bitterly considers what might have been.
FLASH A shabby Santa pees against a scraggy Christmas tree.
FLASH A girl with a scarred face and a club foot climbs a staircase with revolver in hand.
FLASH A woman and a man in a bar idly chat, flirting. One of them has murder in mind.
FLASH an angry man waves a shotgun around in a kebab house.
FLASH A man with a gold amulet in his hands looks over a grassy knoll with a knowing expression.
FLASH an ancient man with an evil expression grips a shredded teddy bear.
FLASH A man hides his former sins beneath a mask of respectability, unaware that his past is catching up with him.
FLASH A woman unknowingly posts an envelope that will seal the fate of another man.
FLASH A couple of idiots try to dispose of a body with hilarious consequences.
Snapshots is a great value collection with dark humour the order of the day. Highly recommended.
This collection is called Snapshots and that is exactly what you get, glimpses into other lives. The author shines a light into the dark corners we dare not explore in reality. Here are some “Snapshots” from some of the stories:
FLASH A man surveys the Warsaw skyline from a glass lift.
FLASH an accountant looks up worriedly from a record store counter, his concern worn like a mantle.
FLASH A tattooed escaped convict beats a victim black and blue.
FLASH A stunningly beautiful woman slams a wedding ring down upon a bar top.
FLASH A man falls drunkenly into a fountain in Sol.
FLASH An old man clutches a bottle of whisky and bitterly considers what might have been.
FLASH A shabby Santa pees against a scraggy Christmas tree.
FLASH A girl with a scarred face and a club foot climbs a staircase with revolver in hand.
FLASH A woman and a man in a bar idly chat, flirting. One of them has murder in mind.
FLASH an angry man waves a shotgun around in a kebab house.
FLASH A man with a gold amulet in his hands looks over a grassy knoll with a knowing expression.
FLASH an ancient man with an evil expression grips a shredded teddy bear.
FLASH A man hides his former sins beneath a mask of respectability, unaware that his past is catching up with him.
FLASH A woman unknowingly posts an envelope that will seal the fate of another man.
FLASH A couple of idiots try to dispose of a body with hilarious consequences.
Snapshots is a great value collection with dark humour the order of the day. Highly recommended.
November 3, 2014
Paul Brazill burst on the flash fiction crime scene in late 2008 and he quickly developed a reputation for dark, inventive, clever and witty stories. Snapshots is a collection of 21 of his short stories published on various online magazines between 2008-11. The tales mostly focus on the everyday, gritty underbelly of society - lowlife criminals, chancers, losers, affairs, prostitution, robbery, murder, seedy pubs, drink, drugs and rock n’ roll - and whilst they are dark, there is also an undercurrent of humaneness, wit and warmth. There is a strong element of his adopted Poland throughout, but the stories are undoubtedly British in character and feel. Like the vast majority of collections there is a little unevenness across the pieces, with a handful of stories a little underdeveloped. There is undoubtedly, however, some very fine pieces of writing here. Brazill writes in colourful prose, has some lovely turns of phrase, and is handy with an effective simile (though some are used a little too often). What I would really like to see is what he could do with a longer format - even a novella the same kind of length as Gerard Brennan’s excellent, The Point. My money’s on it being a knockout. Whilst we wait for that, Snapshots is a visceral, enjoyable introduction to one of the most productive and entertaining practitioners of crime flash fiction.
November 3, 2014
Paul D Brazill is one of the greatest storytellers that I found purely by chance through Twitter. And May All Your Christmases Be White was the first story I read - it made me admire the author and the noir and crime genre.
His stories are more than just Snapshots, they are fast-paced black&white short films that are projected in your head as you're reading, and the characters are very much alive (although they sometimes tend to do unbelievable things).
Paul's writing is vivid, economic and addictive - when you've done reading, you need more Brazill ... The Snapshots is no exception. Highly recommended!
His stories are more than just Snapshots, they are fast-paced black&white short films that are projected in your head as you're reading, and the characters are very much alive (although they sometimes tend to do unbelievable things).
Paul's writing is vivid, economic and addictive - when you've done reading, you need more Brazill ... The Snapshots is no exception. Highly recommended!
June 4, 2014
This is my first dip into the mind of Paul D. Brazill. I have to tell you, it's dark in there and something I can't quite see is nipping at my heels. I kinda like it though. This author redefines the genre of noir into a craft that is all his own. I will be seeking more disturbing words written by this man.
Each tale pulled me deeper into the seedy underworld that Brazill masterfully placed on the pages. He showed me the cliff and then coaxed and nudged me toward the edge. By the time each story was near its end I willingly dove over that edge, headfirst. Cannot say enough good $#!@ about his guy's writing style.
Each tale pulled me deeper into the seedy underworld that Brazill masterfully placed on the pages. He showed me the cliff and then coaxed and nudged me toward the edge. By the time each story was near its end I willingly dove over that edge, headfirst. Cannot say enough good $#!@ about his guy's writing style.
November 3, 2014
As indicated on the tin, twenty-one short sharp tales of crime, despair and bizarrely comic misadventures. Not so much the world of the rich and famous as of the spent and fumbling, observed through a bleary eye of cynicism gilded with a mordant sense of humour that will have you laughing even as you wince. If there's a fault here, it's that they read too quickly. It would be a treat to see Brazill tackle something lengthier.
July 24, 2014
A short collection of interconnected stories from Paul D. Brazill.
You know when you pick up a book by Paul that you are in for some rather unpleasant surprises. And this book is no different. The seedy underworld draws you in, the lives of the unfortunates that populate these stories can make you uncomfortable...and the lengths that people go to make their lives better are well told.
Another winner from the creator of Roman Dalton P.I.
Paul
ARH
You know when you pick up a book by Paul that you are in for some rather unpleasant surprises. And this book is no different. The seedy underworld draws you in, the lives of the unfortunates that populate these stories can make you uncomfortable...and the lengths that people go to make their lives better are well told.
Another winner from the creator of Roman Dalton P.I.
Paul
ARH
November 3, 2014
Paul D Brazill wades in with some short sharp shots to the head. These little beggars will get you in a corner, tell you how it is and leave you reeling. They will also, strangely, bring a smile to your face. Recommended
May 27, 2014
Paul Brazill is funny and has a good line in twist endings. This feels like a collection of his B-sides for the most part, though.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews