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Lunatic
A HOME INVASION GONE WRONG.
A SON MARKED FOR DEATH.
A SHUT IN FOR A MOTHER.
Luna Lofthouse lives a quiet life of isolation – a near recluse unable to venture outside due to her “condition”. Having developed an advanced stage of Lyme Disease from a tick bite, she spends most of her days tending to her dying garden and going to bed early.
For this ex-Literature teacher, life is routine. Predictable and orderly.
That is, until last night…
Luna wakes up to find an intruder in her house. Soon after, the police discover a nameless thief lying dead on her basement floor. Only this was no ordinary cat burglar, but a high-ranking member of a neighborhood gang that plagues her suburban town.
A gang that doesn’t take kindly to losing one of their own…
But this shocking revelation is only the beginning of Luna’s trials, when the unthinkable happens... her son becomes their next target.
With little help from the police, Luna is left to un-weave herself from this tangled web. Is she in over her head? Maybe. Or is it the other way around?
When a young detective looking to make a name for himself starts digging into Luna’s past, he finds there is more to this school teacher than meets the eye.
And the tables get turned when the hunted becomes the hunter…
From the mind of screenwriter Michael Ciminera comes a riveting story with twist and turns that take the reader to the edge of madness.
Twisted and powerful, ingenious and moving, Lunatic is a smart, sophisticated short read of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.
A SON MARKED FOR DEATH.
A SHUT IN FOR A MOTHER.
Luna Lofthouse lives a quiet life of isolation – a near recluse unable to venture outside due to her “condition”. Having developed an advanced stage of Lyme Disease from a tick bite, she spends most of her days tending to her dying garden and going to bed early.
For this ex-Literature teacher, life is routine. Predictable and orderly.
That is, until last night…
Luna wakes up to find an intruder in her house. Soon after, the police discover a nameless thief lying dead on her basement floor. Only this was no ordinary cat burglar, but a high-ranking member of a neighborhood gang that plagues her suburban town.
A gang that doesn’t take kindly to losing one of their own…
But this shocking revelation is only the beginning of Luna’s trials, when the unthinkable happens... her son becomes their next target.
With little help from the police, Luna is left to un-weave herself from this tangled web. Is she in over her head? Maybe. Or is it the other way around?
When a young detective looking to make a name for himself starts digging into Luna’s past, he finds there is more to this school teacher than meets the eye.
And the tables get turned when the hunted becomes the hunter…
From the mind of screenwriter Michael Ciminera comes a riveting story with twist and turns that take the reader to the edge of madness.
Twisted and powerful, ingenious and moving, Lunatic is a smart, sophisticated short read of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2020
About the author
Michael Ciminera
2 booksMichael Ciminera was born in Queens, NY and was raised on Long Island. He has written over a dozen produced screenplays for top Television Networks including ABC Family's hit franchise, “The Dog Who Saved Christmas.” He holds a degree in Finance from Hofstra University and lives on Long Island with his wife, son and 5lb dog named Rocky.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 21, 2020
A smart, dark, twisted thriller
I enjoyed this quite a lot. It’s a fast read, populated with compelling characters doing their best to scrape by in a broken, dirty world. There’s some gore and some R-rated content, but it’s well-justified and serves both the tone and meaning of the book. For all it’s darkness, it’s still grimly amusing.
I enjoyed this quite a lot. It’s a fast read, populated with compelling characters doing their best to scrape by in a broken, dirty world. There’s some gore and some R-rated content, but it’s well-justified and serves both the tone and meaning of the book. For all it’s darkness, it’s still grimly amusing.
June 19, 2020
Page-turning crime novella
Ciminera presents a spell-binding protagonist in Luna Lofthouse. From the beginning, the reader knows they're just seeing the tip of her iceberg. Yes, the is some minor editing needed, but it doesn't slow down this fast-paced read. Thoroughly engaging!
Ciminera presents a spell-binding protagonist in Luna Lofthouse. From the beginning, the reader knows they're just seeing the tip of her iceberg. Yes, the is some minor editing needed, but it doesn't slow down this fast-paced read. Thoroughly engaging!
May 4, 2020
‘Dead men tell no tales, to dead men’
New York author Michael Ciminera earned a degree in Finance from Hofstra University and from his home on Long Island he has successfully written screenplays for television. He is also gaining recognition for his short stories cum novellas: his initial outing was THE PIPS OF PARADISE, and now he adds LUNATIC. According to Michael, he ‘strives to write stories that inspire the underdog to overcome and accomplish their dreams.’
There is a quality of verisimilitude to Michael’s polished writing, perhaps influenced by his skill in writing screenplays that are formed as visual concepts. Attending to the mood for this story, he introduces his main character in the presence of mouthy police officers, in her home - ‘Luna Lofthouse smiled politely but her mind was focused on everything but the coffee in her living room. Her once quiet solitude of a Long Island suburban home had now morphed into an unwanted crime scene and these crass law enforcement types didn’t wipe their feet before they walked through the damn door. She watched a couple of EMTs haul out a fresh corpse that was so neatly wrapped in a shiny black bag all it needed was a bow and ribbon before it could be deposited in the morgue.’
Setting a curtain raiser with such skill is one of Michel’s fine skills, adding hints of the story that follows, as the plot he distills outlines: ‘Luna Lofthouse lives a quiet life of isolation – a near recluse unable to venture outside due to her “condition”. Having developed an advanced stage of Lyme Disease from a tick bite, she spends most of her days tending to her dying garden and going to bed early. For this ex-Literature teacher, life is routine. Predictable and orderly. That is, until last night…Luna wakes up to find an intruder in her house. Soon after, the police discover a nameless thief lying dead on her basement floor. Only this was no ordinary cat burglar, but a high-ranking member of a neighborhood gang that plagues her suburban town. A gang that doesn’t take kindly to losing one of their own…But this shocking revelation is only the beginning of Luna’s trials, when the unthinkable happens... her son becomes their next target. With little help from the police, Luna is left to un-weave herself from this tangled web. Is she in over her head? Maybe. Or is it the other way around? When a young detective looking to make a name for himself starts digging into Luna’s past, he finds there is more to this school teacher than meets the eye. And the tables get turned when the hunted becomes the hunter…’
The manner in which Michael weaves the idiosyncrasies of his characters, both in spoken dialogue and in thoughts, is inextricably bonded to the development of his thriller. The pace is swift, the plot ingenious, and the result is another first class work by this gifted writer. Highly recommended – just don’t try to sleep afterwards…
New York author Michael Ciminera earned a degree in Finance from Hofstra University and from his home on Long Island he has successfully written screenplays for television. He is also gaining recognition for his short stories cum novellas: his initial outing was THE PIPS OF PARADISE, and now he adds LUNATIC. According to Michael, he ‘strives to write stories that inspire the underdog to overcome and accomplish their dreams.’
There is a quality of verisimilitude to Michael’s polished writing, perhaps influenced by his skill in writing screenplays that are formed as visual concepts. Attending to the mood for this story, he introduces his main character in the presence of mouthy police officers, in her home - ‘Luna Lofthouse smiled politely but her mind was focused on everything but the coffee in her living room. Her once quiet solitude of a Long Island suburban home had now morphed into an unwanted crime scene and these crass law enforcement types didn’t wipe their feet before they walked through the damn door. She watched a couple of EMTs haul out a fresh corpse that was so neatly wrapped in a shiny black bag all it needed was a bow and ribbon before it could be deposited in the morgue.’
Setting a curtain raiser with such skill is one of Michel’s fine skills, adding hints of the story that follows, as the plot he distills outlines: ‘Luna Lofthouse lives a quiet life of isolation – a near recluse unable to venture outside due to her “condition”. Having developed an advanced stage of Lyme Disease from a tick bite, she spends most of her days tending to her dying garden and going to bed early. For this ex-Literature teacher, life is routine. Predictable and orderly. That is, until last night…Luna wakes up to find an intruder in her house. Soon after, the police discover a nameless thief lying dead on her basement floor. Only this was no ordinary cat burglar, but a high-ranking member of a neighborhood gang that plagues her suburban town. A gang that doesn’t take kindly to losing one of their own…But this shocking revelation is only the beginning of Luna’s trials, when the unthinkable happens... her son becomes their next target. With little help from the police, Luna is left to un-weave herself from this tangled web. Is she in over her head? Maybe. Or is it the other way around? When a young detective looking to make a name for himself starts digging into Luna’s past, he finds there is more to this school teacher than meets the eye. And the tables get turned when the hunted becomes the hunter…’
The manner in which Michael weaves the idiosyncrasies of his characters, both in spoken dialogue and in thoughts, is inextricably bonded to the development of his thriller. The pace is swift, the plot ingenious, and the result is another first class work by this gifted writer. Highly recommended – just don’t try to sleep afterwards…
June 8, 2020
Lunatic by Michael Ciminera is a suspense novella involving a 40-year-old woman named “Luna” who is sort of the title character (Luna-tic. Get it?) She owns a shady past in which bad men have a tendency to get killed around her. When her son meets a violent end, she seeks revenge on the neighborhood gang terrorizing her community. They won’t know what hit them.
This story is a blink-and-you-miss-it thrill ride while still being character-driven. In fact, Luna is such a fascinating character that it’s hard not to feel she’s deserving of her own full-length novel. Perhaps we haven’t heard the last from her?
Ciminera’s writing is solid, skipping any purple prose for more straightforward action. The only criticisms are a paragraph-length description of Luna’s ass, which feels uncomfortably misplaced (“Like two Virginia hams glued together.” Really?), and a graphic sexual assault scene that I could’ve definitely done without. Otherwise, it’s a dynamite-fun read which shouldn’t take more than one or two sittings.
This story is a blink-and-you-miss-it thrill ride while still being character-driven. In fact, Luna is such a fascinating character that it’s hard not to feel she’s deserving of her own full-length novel. Perhaps we haven’t heard the last from her?
Ciminera’s writing is solid, skipping any purple prose for more straightforward action. The only criticisms are a paragraph-length description of Luna’s ass, which feels uncomfortably misplaced (“Like two Virginia hams glued together.” Really?), and a graphic sexual assault scene that I could’ve definitely done without. Otherwise, it’s a dynamite-fun read which shouldn’t take more than one or two sittings.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews