The Car, the Dog & the Girl

by Kevin G. Chapman

A short story by award-winning author Kevin G. Chapman with a hint of humor.

This simple job just went way off the rails.

Lenny wants to get into the good graces of the guys who have connections. He's willing to do anything. His cousin, Eddie, sets him up with a simple job — drive a classic red convertible from Boston to Brooklyn. Nobody told him there would be a dog involved. Or a girl. And when the girl's husband shows up, Lenny is in way deeper than he ever wanted. It's not his fault, or is it? If he ever gets out of this scrape, he's going to kill cousin Eddie.

Genres: Short Stories

34 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2022

About the author

In 2025, I will be publishing my 10th novel, Treacherous Hack, book #7 in my Mike Stoneman series.

My 2023 stand-alone novel, The Other Murder, won the GRAND PRIZE CLUE award as the best suspense/thriller of 2023 (Chanticleer International Book Awards)! The Other Murder is about a high-profile murder and the media frenzy it creates, and the other murder that nobody cares about. When two journalists team up to investigate the two murders, nothing is as it seems, and the most dangerous thing . . . is the truth.

Be sure to also check out another stand-alone novel titled Dead Winner, where the quest for a $60 million dollar winning lottery ticket turns deadly. Dead Winner was named the BEST POLICE PROCEDURAL OF THE YEAR and Blue Ribbon winner of the CLUE Award.

Also new is a short story titled The Car, the Dog & the Girl, which is available FREE from Kevin's website and from Amazon and other ebook retailers.

And, of course, look for my 7-book Mike Stoneman series has garnered wonderful reviews and critical acclaim, including:

Book #4 -- Fatal Infraction, was the WINNER of the CLUE Award as best police procedural of 2021 and is a Semi-Finalist for the 2022 Kindle Book Award

Book #3, Lethal Voyage, was the WINNER of the 2021 Kindle Book Award (best mystery/thriller) and a Finalist for the CLUE and the 2021 RONE Award (InD'Tale magazine),

Kevin lives in Central New Jersey with his photographer wife. When not in times of global pandemic, they love to travel (on cruise ships, especially) and Kevin loves playing tournament poker and cheering on his beloved New York Mets.

Reviews

[The Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad story about delivering a car for the mob and the troubles that cropped up.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lennie wants desperately to get in with the 'right' crowd, to be a mover and shaker in the shaded world he knows. This job won't require a lot of thought, just drive the bright red convertible from Boston to NYC without any issues and he would be 'in' the world he wants to tackle and have earned $2,000.00. Nobody said anything about the Dog. Or the Girl. Perhaps he was a little hasty about taking this job...

Reviewed on December 24, 2022, at Goodreads, and AmazonSmile. Not available for reviews on BookBub, Barnes&Noble, Kobo or GooglePlay.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This novella is free on Amazon. Oh those free books 📚.

He is asked to drive 🚗 a classic car 🚗 from Boston to Atlantic City. He finds a tiny dog 🐕 in the back seat. He makes it to Atlantic City and meets the girl 👧. Here is where the fun really begins. I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers looking for a fun read. 2023 👒 😀😯😕

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

finished this on the plane, SUCH a good short story. i truly enjoyed every single line. highly recommend!

[Barbara Waloven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hearty chuckles

I actually laughed out loud a few times while reading this. Not something I expected from the description of the book. A lot happened and a lot didn't happen. A guy needs money and does something that could be shady with unexpected rest. Enjoyed.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story available for free from the author’s website. I first beta read it for him, then came back to it when the main character here appears in Treacherous Hack, the latest book in Chapman’s Mike Stoneman series. I’m not really a fan of gangster stories but this was a quick easy read about a young man commissioned to driving a flash car back to New York, which would be fine it it weren’t for the unexpected passengers.

[Jerry Walch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a card-carrying, certified bookworm for over seventy years, ever since I received a complete set of Zane Grey western novels as a Christmas present when I was eight years old. That was seventy-four years ago, to be exact. Those were the good old days when all we had were the printed media-hardcover books, paperbacks, and magazines. By the time I graduated from high school and left for college, I had gotten enough books of my own to start a small library. The western turned me into a bookworm, but I soon discovered that I loved reading all genres as well. Well, in almost all genres, I never got into reading traditional children’s books. Today, I read and review almost every genre.

Today, with the advent of digital publishing and free promotional packages, I have more in my digital library than I have days left for me on this the third rock from the sun. The Car, The Dog & The Girl, the short story by Kevin G. Chapman was one of those. Today nothing gives me greater pleasure than discovering an impressive new writer. Well, Chapman really isn’t a new writer in the truest sense of the meaning with over twenty books in print, but he was new to me. I might have seen his name before in one of the innumerable book newsletters that fill my inbox every day, but I had never read any of his work before reading The Car, The Dog & The Girl. The Car, The Dog & The Girl is a short story, but it could easily be turned into a full length stand alone novel. The plot potential and the characters are all there and I, for one, would love to see Chapman turn it into a novel or even just a novella.

Chapman has a style that reminds me of Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillanne, and Ross Macdonald.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook: I enjoyed this short story a lot. I liked the format. The tale was a quick read. It had moments of darkness, some sweetness, a little violence, and flashes of humor. Kevin G Chapman's narration was acceptable, and I enjoyed his use of different voices for the various characters although the voices reminded me of the ones used in his "Mike Stoneman" series. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 4 out of 5]

SYNOPSIS: "Lenny wants to get into the good graces of the guys who have connections. He's willing to do anything. His cousin, Eddie, sets him up with a simple job — drive a classic red convertible from Boston to Brooklyn. Nobody told him there would be a dog involved. Or a girl. And when the girl's husband shows up, Lenny is in way deeper than he ever wanted. It's not his fault, or is it? If he ever gets out of this scrape, he's going to kill cousin Eddie."

[Sherik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would seriously give this short story a three and a half stars review.
What a great palette cleanser! I was really messed up by the psychological thriller that I read prior to this book. Now I’m ready to jump back into reading again.
Lennie is kind of an idiot, but he’s likable. When he finds out. Dog is involved in the job, he rolls with it, but when the girl shows up, he has no idea what is coming next.
I would definitely recommend this story to lighten up your load.

[M BUTTIGIEG · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quietly powerful short story that lingers long after the last page

The Car, the Dog & the Girl by Kevin G. Chapman is a deceptively simple tale that unfolds into something much deeper and unexpectedly moving. Chapman has a gift for distilling complex human emotions into clear, unforced prose.

Worth reading.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story that will delight you. Agreeing to drive a convertible from one place to another should prove to be simple. Wrong. There’s a dog and a girl involved as well. A wonderful story that will brighten your day.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story

The story was OK. Not much could be added to it or make any improvements. The story was just about a group of dumb people that do not make any improvements to life. They are just taking up space, no productivity to life or the future.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story. It has quick action and suspense. The beginning grabbed me and didn’t let go. While it was short it still is story that drew me to the character and their plight.
I did listen to this on audio. The narration is well done other than it sounds like it was spoken in a tunnel.

[m · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know it was a short story but I wanted something just a little bit more. More action / more consequences… something! but overall, a good listen. Made me listen to the authors next short story audiobook!

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read from this author. Even though it was short, it was entertaining. I wish he had a series involving this main character. He's kind of the miscreant with a heart so he was endearing and a little bit funny which added levity.

[Mailmanr5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this short story but it seemed a bit pointless.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous short story of a man hired to deliver a car. He gets involved with a girl and her dog, and the car of course!

[Henry D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a 3.5 but worthy of more than 3

Quick read, minor suspense, hot babe, good story. I'd be interested in more stories involving Lenny and the organization. Cheers!

[LaWanda Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good

[BC Ringler · Rating 4 out of 5]

You wrote it too fast!!! I like books that I have a lot of time to simmer in my head.

[Jackie Martello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid little short story. Well narrated audiobook too! Looking forward to reading more from the author.

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma narrativa que tinha tudo para terminar muito mal, não fosse um pequeno erro por parte do criminoso e um rápido insight por parte da quase vítima. É uma séria de situações inesperadas que prendem o leitor, e nos deixa meio sem fôlego até que tudo se resolve. Gostei.

[Kevin Cannon (Monty's Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absorbing short story with great characters and an interesting plot