Savage Fire is a collection of sixteen short stories in different or mixed genres. Most of the stories are dark tales of horror and mysteries with a fairy tale among them.

The ideas behind the stories are brilliant. The language is direct with a good measure of quips thrown in. For example, in the 5th story, Double Cross, the detective thinks, “She has legs a guy could give up for Lent.”

Most stories end without a strict closure to keep the reader wondering about the characters and the story. I felt this showed great wit on the part of this writer.

The stories in the contents section of the book are:
1. Savage Fire
2. Awake in the Age of Lizards
3. An Island Never Cries
4. Worth Watching
5. Double Cross
6. Saving Grace
7. Unsettled Hearts
8. Got it?
9. So Pretty
10. Missing You
11. If Not Mistaken
12. The Sea Witch’s Daughter
13. Blood Feast
14. Unfinished Business
15. Last Stop
16. Without Remorse

I don't mind repeating again. I loved Ben's witticisms and the open endings. By open endings I mean the stories finish all right, but in some way, an underlying thread continues to leave the reader wondering, such as a family curse continuing or if looks can kill.

The only thing is, for such a numerous collection of stories, the price is too cheap. No kidding!

Ben's writing is worth much more than that.

To sum it up, for a first book this collection is a winner, and I can hardly wait for the next book by this writer.

The author of this collection is none other than our Ben Langhinrichs . Enough said.

I enjoyed the stories a lot. I hope you do, too.

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Created Feb 22, 2012 at 6:39pm • Submit your own review...