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Crossing Red
Matthew Hart has a temper. In his blind rage, he becomes violent and impulsive. Over the years, he's learned to control his outbursts...mostly. But after an especially bad week, Hart snaps and kills his landlord. He goes on the run, hoping to put the murder behind him. And maybe he could have gotten away with it, had he not then killed an officer of the law. Now all of Tennessee is bearing down on him in a manhunt that will lead into the cover of the mountains as rain begins to fall.
CROSSING RED is Aiden Merchant's debut novella in crime fiction.
CROSSING RED is Aiden Merchant's debut novella in crime fiction.
135 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 18, 2022
3 people want to read
About the author
Aiden Merchant
37 books73 followersAiden Merchant is the author of more than a hundred stories spanning numerous collections, including Sickness is in Season, Documenting Dreadful Existences, Dead as Soon as Born, Kill for Them, and his extreme horror debut Horrific Holidays. He is also the author of several novellas and screenplays. In late 2021, he published and edited Milk Teeth by Andrew Post, as well as a dark fiction anthology Blackberry Blood, which he worked on with author Julia C. Lewis. His short fiction has appeared in Wild Violence, Pulp Harvest, and Slice of Paradise.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 17, 2023
Aiden Merchant’s Crossing Red is a fantastic debut crime novella that is a unique step from his twisting horror and gore.
Crossing Red features an average backwoods guy that experiences outbursts of rage and losing all control that have gone a bit too far. This novella had a good balance between anxiety-inducing dangerous man and cool, collected law enforcement viewpoints. I love the description of the bees taking over, as that’s been described in a few book metaphors before, but I love Merchant’s touch. When I first read this in Merchant’s collection Dead As Soon As Born, this one initially took me by surprise as a crime novella. I am glad to see it released on its own.
The jumps from current manhunt to previous start of petty crimes is a pleasant swap of viewpoints that helps readers feel for Hart a little bit. However, the transitions were a little confusing from time to time, especially introducing a new character. These multiple viewpoints helped paint a better backdrop and worked really well. PS I hope to see more of Gibson later.
Special thanks to Aiden Merchant for providing Crossing Red to read and leave an honest review.
Crossing Red features an average backwoods guy that experiences outbursts of rage and losing all control that have gone a bit too far. This novella had a good balance between anxiety-inducing dangerous man and cool, collected law enforcement viewpoints. I love the description of the bees taking over, as that’s been described in a few book metaphors before, but I love Merchant’s touch. When I first read this in Merchant’s collection Dead As Soon As Born, this one initially took me by surprise as a crime novella. I am glad to see it released on its own.
The jumps from current manhunt to previous start of petty crimes is a pleasant swap of viewpoints that helps readers feel for Hart a little bit. However, the transitions were a little confusing from time to time, especially introducing a new character. These multiple viewpoints helped paint a better backdrop and worked really well. PS I hope to see more of Gibson later.
Special thanks to Aiden Merchant for providing Crossing Red to read and leave an honest review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review