Click: A novelette of action and intrigue on the Texas coast

by Phil Slattery

Frank Martinez, a policeman with the Corpus Christi Police Department, has unintentionally shot and killed an unarmed man when called to intercede in a domestic violence case. To recover from the guilt while the incident is under investigation by the CCPD, Frank's fiancée arranges for him to stay on a secluded island owned by her father's former law partner. While dozing one night on a lounge chair in the yard, he awakes to find two hit men slipping onto the island and breaking into the cabin. Are they after him? Are they after the cabin's owner? Most importantly, how is he going to reach his pistol in his luggage in the bedroom?

Reader Charles Stacey gave "Click" five stars and "Author has a wonderful ability to develop the characters using few words. Great foreshadowing to build suspense. And then a really outstanding twist at the end that left me smiling."

Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2016

About the author

As of February 2023, I am frequently busy with the two magazines/websites I publish (thechambergmagazine.com and ruralfictionmagazine.wordpress.com), I still find some time to focus on my own writing and am trying to finish two novels and a novella at this point. Visit my personal blog (its posts are repeated in the blog section below and a link to it is provided) for more details on my writing progress and philosophy.

The magazines are going great guns and I am receiving a lot of contributions and praise on each. Please visit at least one if you have the chance.

Currently, I have three short fiction anthologies, a poetry anthology, and two novelettes available on Kindle and one short story collection (A Tale of Hell and Other Works of Horror) available through print on demand from most, if not all, major book retailers. Many of my short stories and a few poems (and some photographs) can be found scattered around the Internet.

Originally from Kentucky, I have traveled to 24 countries, many states, and now live in New Mexico. I have a B.A. in German and Russian from Eastern Kentucky University, where I learned to love literature. I started writing poetry while in the Navy from the mid-80's to the mid-90's, but eventually turned to writing short fiction.

Reviews

[Quinn Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though short, this novelette packs a terrific punch and keeps you turning the pages, finishing with a wild, unexpected twist. Loved it.

[Vicki Holmsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novelette is a quick and very entertaining read. It opened with a grabber ("Tell me again whey we have to kill this guy...") and kept pulling me in from there. Frank Martinez is a cop trying to recover from a shooting incident in solitude on an island off the Texas gulf coast. T.J. and Benny are the bad guys. Their hunt and chase on the small island kept me in suspense. It ends with a surprise twist. Slattery proves here he is a good storyteller.

[Frank Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the action. Great twist at the end!