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The Son-in-Law: A Short Story
Sometimes death runs in the family... Steve wants to leave his old life behind, the life of killing and waiting to be killed. But when it's the family business, it can be a hard habit to break.
16 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2018
5 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Craig A. Hart
128 books333 followersCraig A. Hart is a writer of thrillers. In a past life, he was also director for Northern Illinois Radio Information Service, a broadcast outreach that brought daily news and information to the visually impaired.
In 2015, Kindle Press published his literary novel BECOMING MOON. NPR affiliate Northern Public Radio featured BECOMING MOON in their Winter Book Series, and it won Best Novel of Summer 2015 from Pinnacle Awards. He is also the author of the historical mystery NIGHT AT KEY WEST, which is based on true events.
In 2016, he publishing SERENITY, the first book in the popular Shelby Alexander Thriller Series. Serenity alone has been downloaded over 400,000 times by eager readers.
In 2022, he launched the Maxwell Barnes Adventure Thriller Series, co-written with S.J. Varengo. The award-winning first book in that series, MAYAN SHADOWS, was published on May 11, 2022. Two more books follow in that series: MAYAN THUNDER and MAYAN TEMPEST.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Craig lives in Iowa City, Iowa with his wife, sons, insane dog, and anti-social cat.
In 2015, Kindle Press published his literary novel BECOMING MOON. NPR affiliate Northern Public Radio featured BECOMING MOON in their Winter Book Series, and it won Best Novel of Summer 2015 from Pinnacle Awards. He is also the author of the historical mystery NIGHT AT KEY WEST, which is based on true events.
In 2016, he publishing SERENITY, the first book in the popular Shelby Alexander Thriller Series. Serenity alone has been downloaded over 400,000 times by eager readers.
In 2022, he launched the Maxwell Barnes Adventure Thriller Series, co-written with S.J. Varengo. The award-winning first book in that series, MAYAN SHADOWS, was published on May 11, 2022. Two more books follow in that series: MAYAN THUNDER and MAYAN TEMPEST.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Craig lives in Iowa City, Iowa with his wife, sons, insane dog, and anti-social cat.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 19, 2018
The Son-in-law - A very short short story, but very good. I liked the ending. It was expensive to do what his father-in-law demanded, but people sometimes don't think about what they want until they get it. Good for a coffee break. 5*
Serenity #1 - A great read. A well written, action packed suspense story that draws you in and doesn't let go until you've finished the book. The characters range from likable to despicable, all believable and make you respond to them. 5*
Serenity Stalked #2 - Fast paced but a cliffhanger. A well written suspense, darker than Serenity, heavy with vulgar language. The plot and characters keep you reading until the end. Rather short in length and a cliffhanger ending, although this subject of this story is complete. In the Serenity series, the author has some real doozies for villains for the main characters to fight. 5*
Serenity Avenged #3 - Dark but complete. A well written, but dark, suspense that grabs you and doesn't let go. Surprisingly light with the vulgar language, Serenity Stalked had too much, but contained the darkness found in the short stories of The Girl Who Read Hemingway. If you like one of these books, you'll like the other. The darkness was not graphic. Although picks up where S. Stalked ended, this novel has closure. 5*
Serenity Submerged #4 - Fast paced story. Another well written, action packed suspense story that keeps you reading until the story ends, which was all too soon. The characters are believable and real, and the twisting plot is riveting. I haven't been disappointed with any of the author's books that I've read so far. 5*
Serenity Engulfed #5 – Another dynamic addition to the Serenity Family. Another well written, fast paced, suspense filled novel with our favorite characters Shelby and Mack and some not so favorite; but without them there’s no intriguing book to read. There’s a new sheriff in town and she and Shelby are learning to play nice together, with Mack’s help. The ending makes me wonder what kind of trouble Shel and Mack will face in the future. I contacted the author to review his books and have enjoyed them all. 5*
I contacted the author to review his books after reading the first two books of the Serenity Series.
Serenity series: End.
Key West series:
Night at Key West - While not in the same ballpark as the Shelby series and lots better than the Assignment series, this is a good start to a new series. Set in 1937 and using real background material, Mr. Hart weaves a substantially interesting and partly humorous story. All the characters are interesting, quirky in some cases, but all hold the reader's interest, along with their realistic dialog. The story lines are entertaining and well thought out; yes, there are a few kinks, but the story moves along at a good pace. Key West has always been interesting during this time period and Mr. Hart keeps that interest going with this story. 5*
Serenity #1 - A great read. A well written, action packed suspense story that draws you in and doesn't let go until you've finished the book. The characters range from likable to despicable, all believable and make you respond to them. 5*
Serenity Stalked #2 - Fast paced but a cliffhanger. A well written suspense, darker than Serenity, heavy with vulgar language. The plot and characters keep you reading until the end. Rather short in length and a cliffhanger ending, although this subject of this story is complete. In the Serenity series, the author has some real doozies for villains for the main characters to fight. 5*
Serenity Avenged #3 - Dark but complete. A well written, but dark, suspense that grabs you and doesn't let go. Surprisingly light with the vulgar language, Serenity Stalked had too much, but contained the darkness found in the short stories of The Girl Who Read Hemingway. If you like one of these books, you'll like the other. The darkness was not graphic. Although picks up where S. Stalked ended, this novel has closure. 5*
Serenity Submerged #4 - Fast paced story. Another well written, action packed suspense story that keeps you reading until the story ends, which was all too soon. The characters are believable and real, and the twisting plot is riveting. I haven't been disappointed with any of the author's books that I've read so far. 5*
Serenity Engulfed #5 – Another dynamic addition to the Serenity Family. Another well written, fast paced, suspense filled novel with our favorite characters Shelby and Mack and some not so favorite; but without them there’s no intriguing book to read. There’s a new sheriff in town and she and Shelby are learning to play nice together, with Mack’s help. The ending makes me wonder what kind of trouble Shel and Mack will face in the future. I contacted the author to review his books and have enjoyed them all. 5*
I contacted the author to review his books after reading the first two books of the Serenity Series.
Serenity series: End.
Key West series:
Night at Key West - While not in the same ballpark as the Shelby series and lots better than the Assignment series, this is a good start to a new series. Set in 1937 and using real background material, Mr. Hart weaves a substantially interesting and partly humorous story. All the characters are interesting, quirky in some cases, but all hold the reader's interest, along with their realistic dialog. The story lines are entertaining and well thought out; yes, there are a few kinks, but the story moves along at a good pace. Key West has always been interesting during this time period and Mr. Hart keeps that interest going with this story. 5*
Read
October 21, 2019The Son-in-Law: A Short Story, my first read from author Craig A. Hart. An appetizer for more of his writing. If there's a problem with this book that it's so short. You want stories/books longer so you can enjoy them for a longer time. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reading & reviewing it. Craig A. Hart’s narration adds to the book's enjoyment. I'll be reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
May 19, 2019
A Surprise
This story took me by surprise. It caught me in the first few paragraphs and took me for the ride. A Great short story of family love and betrayal. I must read more by this author.
This story took me by surprise. It caught me in the first few paragraphs and took me for the ride. A Great short story of family love and betrayal. I must read more by this author.
October 23, 2019
Rating has more to do with the fact that short stories are not my preferred reading material than with the story itself. This one, while very short, did manage to slip in a surprise I didn't see coming.
September 12, 2018
Wham, Bam! Craig Hart knows how to run you over with his stories. This is a short story that hits you like a Mack truck, runs you over and passes you by! Wow.
Hart knows how to write!
Hart knows how to write!
September 20, 2018
Steve got out of the underworld but things went badly. Father-In-law needs some help should Steve get back in for one more job. Very short story but also very engaging. This is a good read.
October 21, 2018
A very short and good story, showing us it's always smart to think.
December 30, 2018
A great lunch break read. The ending was definitely not what I expected. Happy reading. Annemarie
I received a free copy from the Author and have chosen to leave a review.
I received a free copy from the Author and have chosen to leave a review.
October 12, 2019
This is a good story of an ex con who needs to make a decision. I like the narration, and story.
May 1, 2020
An intriguing short story with a surprise ending.
If you're looking for a sample of Hart's writing style, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.
If you're looking for a sample of Hart's writing style, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews