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Freight
In an impoverished, crime-ridden Texas town called Blackwood, Enoch Ford arrives to work as a railroad brakeman. Fresh out of prison, he befriends a rail man called Doc who finds in Enoch the perfect partner for a simple heist: lifting copper wire off the cars in the middle of the night to fence.
But when Enoch finds human cargo instead, he becomes a de facto guardian and begins a violent revenge odyssey through which he will stop at nothing to protect three Belarusian children.
Souls and lives are at stake. Unfathomable evil has to be dealt with. And there is no one in Blackwood, Texas but a no-account ex-con for the job.
But when Enoch finds human cargo instead, he becomes a de facto guardian and begins a violent revenge odyssey through which he will stop at nothing to protect three Belarusian children.
Souls and lives are at stake. Unfathomable evil has to be dealt with. And there is no one in Blackwood, Texas but a no-account ex-con for the job.
Paperback
First published October 1, 2014
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About the author
Ed Kurtz
56 books145 followersEd Kurtz is the author of THE RIB FROM WHICH I REMAKE THE WORLD and other novels. His short fiction has appeared in numerous collections, and has been honored in Best American Mystery Stories as well as Best Gay Stories. Kurtz lives in Minneapolis.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 17, 2015
A novella that burns through its pages in no time at all; small town Texas in the 1970s, an ex-con working the railroads, child smuggling, violent revenge, it's all here and more as Kurtz visits the classic pulps for inspiration to provide the world with a shades of grey protagnoist you can route for in Enoch Ford, a tale with more than its fair share of dark shenanigans yet displaying more heart than most. Another hot little title available from www.thecrimefactory.com who have an excellent track record so far, so why not pick up the rest of their books whilst you're at it.
February 18, 2018
Train kept a rolling
Just out of prison and working on the railroad, Enoch Ford finds more than he bargained for when looks in a freight car. A brilliant novella.
Just out of prison and working on the railroad, Enoch Ford finds more than he bargained for when looks in a freight car. A brilliant novella.
March 6, 2015
Man, Ed Kurtz has a voice and he's not afraid to use it. This dark novella set in 70s small-town America smacks of Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy. It's intense, brutal and goes into territory that's not for everyone, but the man can write.
December 13, 2015
To Enoch and Doc, two down and out men working as railway brakemen in an impoverished Texas town, it seemed like a simple enough heist: steal the copper wire off a train in the middle of the night.
But the carriage contains more than metal. Soon lives are at stake and an unfathomable evil has to be dealt with. And there is no one in Blackwood, Texas for the job but a no-account ex-con.
Ich versuche es mal auf Deutsch zusammenzufassen:
Der Ex-Knasti Enoch und Doc, beides Bremser bei der Eisenbahn in einer verarmten Kleinstadt in Texas, haben einen todsicheren Plan: mitten in der Nacht den Kupferdraht von den Güterwagons zu stehlen und zu Geld zu machen. Die Fracht ist jedoch eine andere und schon bald sind Leben in Gefahr und Enoch Ford begegnet dem abgrundtief Bösen. Und in ganz Blackwood, Texas gibt es für diese Aufgabe niemanden, außer dem nichtsnutzigen Ex-Häftling Enoch.
Meine Meinung:
Auch wenn mich meine guten Englisch-Kenntnisse hier ganz massiv im Stich gelassen haben und ich somit nur rund die Hälfte verstanden habe - ich bin platt. Der Texas-Staub hängt jetzt noch in meinen Bronchien fest und irgendwie erinnerte mich diese Story an Joe R. Lansdales "Das Dickicht", also vom Lesegefühl her.
Aufschlagen, reinlesen, versinken, abtauchen und erst wieder damit aufhören und Luft holen, wenn das letzte Wort gelesen wurde.
Dieses kurze Abenteuer zieht einen in die Tiefe wie lebendig gewordenes Seegras, in das man sich beim Schwimmen verheddert hat.
Ed, ich weiß, du machst grad eine schwierige Zeit durch und es gibt vermutlich nichts, was dir dieses Martyrium erleichtern könnte. Aber höre um Himmels Willen bloß nicht mit dem Schreiben auf!
But the carriage contains more than metal. Soon lives are at stake and an unfathomable evil has to be dealt with. And there is no one in Blackwood, Texas for the job but a no-account ex-con.
Ich versuche es mal auf Deutsch zusammenzufassen:
Der Ex-Knasti Enoch und Doc, beides Bremser bei der Eisenbahn in einer verarmten Kleinstadt in Texas, haben einen todsicheren Plan: mitten in der Nacht den Kupferdraht von den Güterwagons zu stehlen und zu Geld zu machen. Die Fracht ist jedoch eine andere und schon bald sind Leben in Gefahr und Enoch Ford begegnet dem abgrundtief Bösen. Und in ganz Blackwood, Texas gibt es für diese Aufgabe niemanden, außer dem nichtsnutzigen Ex-Häftling Enoch.
Meine Meinung:
Auch wenn mich meine guten Englisch-Kenntnisse hier ganz massiv im Stich gelassen haben und ich somit nur rund die Hälfte verstanden habe - ich bin platt. Der Texas-Staub hängt jetzt noch in meinen Bronchien fest und irgendwie erinnerte mich diese Story an Joe R. Lansdales "Das Dickicht", also vom Lesegefühl her.
Aufschlagen, reinlesen, versinken, abtauchen und erst wieder damit aufhören und Luft holen, wenn das letzte Wort gelesen wurde.
Dieses kurze Abenteuer zieht einen in die Tiefe wie lebendig gewordenes Seegras, in das man sich beim Schwimmen verheddert hat.
Ed, ich weiß, du machst grad eine schwierige Zeit durch und es gibt vermutlich nichts, was dir dieses Martyrium erleichtern könnte. Aber höre um Himmels Willen bloß nicht mit dem Schreiben auf!
November 18, 2014
This Single Shot story by Ed Kurtz has me wanting more. I really do hope that Kurtz considers this book, Freight, the beginning of a series, involving Enoch Ford.
I loved the book. Enoch and his friend, Doc, work for the railroad. They come up with a plan to steal some copper off of one of the cars. But, they did not find copper piping on that car. Three, small children have Enoch switching from being known as an ex-con to being known as a hero. When asked why he felt the need to save these kids, Enoch answered, "Cause someone's got to. Don't you see that?"
Great writing and a great character. I sure hope I see more books coming from Ed Kurtz.
I loved the book. Enoch and his friend, Doc, work for the railroad. They come up with a plan to steal some copper off of one of the cars. But, they did not find copper piping on that car. Three, small children have Enoch switching from being known as an ex-con to being known as a hero. When asked why he felt the need to save these kids, Enoch answered, "Cause someone's got to. Don't you see that?"
Great writing and a great character. I sure hope I see more books coming from Ed Kurtz.
September 7, 2016
Fantastic short story! This is crime fiction at its best and the author delivers.Wonderful how Mr.Kurt
created a very dark, obscure mood and setting for the story and then illuminated it via the protago-
nist. Highly recommended.
created a very dark, obscure mood and setting for the story and then illuminated it via the protago-
nist. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews