The title of this collection of a dozen stories emphasizes how a moment that could be captured in a picture can bring an epiphany or present a situation where past behaviors clash with a new reality. Cops, criminals, rich people, all kinds of characters inhabit these stories, all set in the tri-state area where West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio meet. “Each story specializes in a twist that challenges readers to think about their expectations and prejudices about outcomes, people, and circumstances. Each will delight short story enthusiasts looking for literary works strong in tension development, plot, and the ability to craft something unexpected and different from disparate life experiences.” --Diane Donovan. “Eliot is an observer and imaginer of life's quirky, ironic, random pay backs. His stories almost always have some twist or turn or surprise at the end-- in many cases the punishment of a nasty main character.” -- Meredith Sue Willis. The author, Eliot Parker, grew up in the tri-state area he portrays in this collection and now teaches at the University of Mississippi.
New York: Morgan James, 2020. 210 pages. Trade paperback.