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Closing Time at the Sunny-Side-Up
Quentin Tarantino meets Smokey & The Bandit in this noir, science-fiction thriller. Sometimes, people just need killing. When Sam West wanders into the Sunny-Side-Up Diner hoping for a last slice of Mort’s world-class pie, and one last look at a waitress named Delilah, he has no idea he’s about to become the instrument of a great, karmic cleansing. The only thing crazier than the seemingly inevitable trail of bodies following Sam and Delilah south is the fact that – as State Police and local sheriffs begin to investigate – they find no evidence. Nothing. And the missing bodies are just the start, as an unlikely band of companions are drawn together in a scientific experiment more in line with the TV Series Fringe than anything in reality, with the threat of alien probes, local law enforcement, and rednecks around every corner.
163 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2025
15 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
David Niall Wilson
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David Niall Wilson has been writing and publishing horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction since the mid-eighties. An ordained minister, once President of the Horror Writer 's Association and multiple recipient of the Bram Stoker Award. He lives outside Hertford, NC with the love of his life, Patricia Lee Macomber, His children Zane and Katie, occasionally their older siblings, Stephanie, who is in college, and Bill and Zach who are in the Navy, and an ever-changing assortment of pets.
David is CEO and founder of Crossroad Press, a cutting edge digital publishing company specializing in electronic novels, collections, and nonfiction, as well as unabridged audiobooks and print titles.
Join my street team on Facebook to win prizes, discuss my work with others, and get exclusive content and offers
David Niall Wilson has been writing and publishing horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction since the mid-eighties. An ordained minister, once President of the Horror Writer 's Association and multiple recipient of the Bram Stoker Award. He lives outside Hertford, NC with the love of his life, Patricia Lee Macomber, His children Zane and Katie, occasionally their older siblings, Stephanie, who is in college, and Bill and Zach who are in the Navy, and an ever-changing assortment of pets.
David is CEO and founder of Crossroad Press, a cutting edge digital publishing company specializing in electronic novels, collections, and nonfiction, as well as unabridged audiobooks and print titles.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 9, 2025
Perfectly captures the feel of being in the southwest and wondering what strangeness is occurring just off the highway. Has an almost David Lynchian feel. Five stars.
June 18, 2025
A short novel that moves through its 160 pages at relentless speed. It’s mostly an extended chase scene that’s part Jim Thompson meets Bonnie & Clyde, part madcap Hiaasen meets Joe Lansdale, then sprinkle in some X-Files. There are no good guys or bad guys here, not really, just lunatics and grifters on a collision course with podunk law enforcement.
June 24, 2025
CLOSING TIME AT THE SUNNY-SIDE UP by David Niall Wilson is a combination crime thriller and near future science fiction novel. It is a Tarantino-esque story of oddball characters, unexpected violence, and a fascinating nihilist story with the MacGuffin of a biofuel that makes all the murder possible. It also has a very subtle pro-environmental message that you wouldn't expect to find in a violent sci-fi comedy.
The premise is that Sam has just murdered someone for reasons he considers to be justified and needs to get himself breakfast in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, in his fugue state, he hands over his gun and confesses his crime to Delilah, a waitress who has had it up to here with her lecherous boss. Delilah takes Sam's actions as an inspiration and murders both her boss as well as the nastiest customer at the Sunny Side-Up.
The sci-fi element enters the story as this is a near-future story where global warming is triggering massive hurricanes across Mexico (and other parts of the world) while a group of academics are nearby, testing their new biofuel that they hope will be a miracle cure for humanity's fossil fuel dependency. What does their biofuel rely on? Human corpses.
The academic group realizes the murderers have left behind a wonderful chance to get data that they'd otherwise require months of paperwork documenting. All the while as Sam decides he and Delilah are partners in crime despite the fact the latter is more than a little crazy.
You can see where this is going.
Basically, this is exactly the sort of crazy crime thriller that its description suggests, and it gets weirder from start to finish. UFOs, deranged morticians, and the mother of all super storms are just some of the things that these oddballs must deal with. It's not the kind of book I normally read but I had a blast with this one. I think it would make a fantastic movie and if you've ever been at a Waffle House after midnight, you know just what sort of insane people hang out there.
I was really intrigued by the sci-fi angle because it does its job very effectively without straying too far into the woods of weirdness. The biofuel is the perfect tool for criminals to kill people and get away with it, dissolving them within moments and leaving just usable gas in its place. The fact our protagonists just misuse it in the most obvious manner possible kind of reflects the kind of reckless stupidity that humanity found itself in its current situation because of.
In short, this book is a wild ride and I think if you want an enjoyable crime drama with a dash of a bleak vision of the future (that feels all too plausible) then this is definitely the book for you. I was a huge fan of David Niall Wilson’s Grail Covenant books and this is a big departure for him but one that definitely works out.
The premise is that Sam has just murdered someone for reasons he considers to be justified and needs to get himself breakfast in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, in his fugue state, he hands over his gun and confesses his crime to Delilah, a waitress who has had it up to here with her lecherous boss. Delilah takes Sam's actions as an inspiration and murders both her boss as well as the nastiest customer at the Sunny Side-Up.
The sci-fi element enters the story as this is a near-future story where global warming is triggering massive hurricanes across Mexico (and other parts of the world) while a group of academics are nearby, testing their new biofuel that they hope will be a miracle cure for humanity's fossil fuel dependency. What does their biofuel rely on? Human corpses.
The academic group realizes the murderers have left behind a wonderful chance to get data that they'd otherwise require months of paperwork documenting. All the while as Sam decides he and Delilah are partners in crime despite the fact the latter is more than a little crazy.
You can see where this is going.
Basically, this is exactly the sort of crazy crime thriller that its description suggests, and it gets weirder from start to finish. UFOs, deranged morticians, and the mother of all super storms are just some of the things that these oddballs must deal with. It's not the kind of book I normally read but I had a blast with this one. I think it would make a fantastic movie and if you've ever been at a Waffle House after midnight, you know just what sort of insane people hang out there.
I was really intrigued by the sci-fi angle because it does its job very effectively without straying too far into the woods of weirdness. The biofuel is the perfect tool for criminals to kill people and get away with it, dissolving them within moments and leaving just usable gas in its place. The fact our protagonists just misuse it in the most obvious manner possible kind of reflects the kind of reckless stupidity that humanity found itself in its current situation because of.
In short, this book is a wild ride and I think if you want an enjoyable crime drama with a dash of a bleak vision of the future (that feels all too plausible) then this is definitely the book for you. I was a huge fan of David Niall Wilson’s Grail Covenant books and this is a big departure for him but one that definitely works out.
July 7, 2025
What would you do if you were with a few friends, stopped at a diner in the middle of nowhere for a slice of the most delicious pie, and entered it only to find... everyone has been murdered. Call the cops? Well, you would think so, wouldn't you? But, just a second. There are no witnesses to this crime. How do they know you and your friends weren't responsible? Uh, oh. NOW, what are you going to do? Well, clean up of course and then get the hell out of there. It helps if you have the ultimate clean up kit. And these guys do.
Closing Time at The Sunny Side Up is a hilarious noir sci fi novella from master storyteller, David Wilson and it will brighten up your day
Closing Time at The Sunny Side Up is a hilarious noir sci fi novella from master storyteller, David Wilson and it will brighten up your day
July 2, 2025
On the Road and Quentin Tarantino Rolled into One
Once Delilah shoots a few folks dead in the Sunny-Side-Up Coffee Shop, the action REALLY picks up. This is a prolonged, cat-and-mouse chase scene with the cops in hot pursuit of Sam, Delilah, Gregory, and a host of oddball criminals. Behind it is a mysterious "process" that explains what the fuss is all about. The action is fast and furious, and it only stops for a few laughs and plot twists here and there. A page turner from page one and I found it hard to put down.
Once Delilah shoots a few folks dead in the Sunny-Side-Up Coffee Shop, the action REALLY picks up. This is a prolonged, cat-and-mouse chase scene with the cops in hot pursuit of Sam, Delilah, Gregory, and a host of oddball criminals. Behind it is a mysterious "process" that explains what the fuss is all about. The action is fast and furious, and it only stops for a few laughs and plot twists here and there. A page turner from page one and I found it hard to put down.
July 16, 2025
One Wild Ride
This is short, but I kept stopping because the story is so crazy. It's like Natural Born Killers meets Smokey and the Bandit, then crosses paths with Soylent Green (if they had been making fuel instead of food out of people). There is just way too much going on here, and everything is left open ended. Action packed, a new "situation" every time you blink, and a story that will spin your head, this is enough to pull you in, but it leaves you wondering what ended up happening at the end.
This is short, but I kept stopping because the story is so crazy. It's like Natural Born Killers meets Smokey and the Bandit, then crosses paths with Soylent Green (if they had been making fuel instead of food out of people). There is just way too much going on here, and everything is left open ended. Action packed, a new "situation" every time you blink, and a story that will spin your head, this is enough to pull you in, but it leaves you wondering what ended up happening at the end.
June 24, 2025
I had a ton of fun with this read by David Niall Wilson, a crazy mix of Smokey and the Bandit with a touch of the bizarre. This is such an enjoyable road trip, I loved how all the characters had unique voices amongst all the hilarious and death defying highway antics. If you are looking for a great read to just dive into that is super entertaining and funny, this book is for you. Highly recommended!
July 16, 2025
I don’t typically read this type of thing. But wow, am I ever glad for the diversion!!! I can’t even explain why I liked it but I did. Funny, gory, unbelievable, thrilling, and all of that!
Now I’m gonna have to read some of his other books. I hope someone does a better job proofreading than the last guy.
Now I’m gonna have to read some of his other books. I hope someone does a better job proofreading than the last guy.
July 14, 2025
David Niall Wilson’s CLOSING TIME AT THE SUNNY-SIDE-UP is a lot of fun! It’s a violent, fast novella that speeds with the verve of a muscle car through the Texas desert. A great summertime quick read!
July 1, 2025
Yee-haw!
Lean, mean, and more fun than it has any right to be, Closing Time is a pulpy romp in the backroads where the 1970s and 1990s collide.
Lean, mean, and more fun than it has any right to be, Closing Time is a pulpy romp in the backroads where the 1970s and 1990s collide.
August 12, 2025
Not a Tarantino fan - easier to read shoot ‘em up than watch it. Still I laughed out loud several times and enjoyed the breakneck pace of the book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews