KICK IT TOGETHER! [Kindle Edition]

Not sure what this is, but definitely not my thing. Tried a few times to get to grips with this, but just couldn't.

Scot's author McDroll has put this collection of her crime/noir short stories together in one place, and what a place. I am a great fan of the short story and this collection reminds me of the Hitchcock collections I enjoyed as a teenager. Suggestive more than explicit, the stories lead you down a dark alley with a way out in sight, only to push you into an open manhole just when you think you're safe. I find that short stories can often show the deficiencies in an author, but McDroll keeps things tight and taut.
Well worth a few of your hard earned pennies.

Another wonderful collection of cooked-rare, slice-of-life tales from McDroll. These raw fragments of ordinary folks misadventures and life-crisis are mixed with downbeat humour and often finish with an unforseen smack in the mouth leaving you probing with your tongue at the imagined gaps between your teeth. These stories also give the reader an uncomfortable reminder of the painfully bleak areas that exist in our own domestic lives. The blighted, dark patches we paint over and pretend to ourselves all is well.

By all means, take the time to prepare for an afternoon's reading in the company of McDroll. Make yourself a cup of tea, rattle some Kit-Kats onto a plate and then flop into your favourite armchair. But...... just don't get too comfortable.

When I read Kick It Together, I was taken aback.

There's A Pot Of Christmas soup, all warm and cosy. Not only did I enjoy its telling, but I learned a neat trick with Foxes Glacier Mints that means I'll be able to put icicles on future Christmas cakes. It was really gentle and I got completely involved in ideas for next years dinner. 'Kick It' - I wondered about the title for such gently skilled story-telling. And then came the twist. The sting in the tale. 'Kick It' finally made sense.

Gemma Dixon, a woman working her way through the nettles of police-rankings, is a great character. The opener gives a hint and she appears in the remaining stories (bar one) where we get to know a little more about her style and her strength each time.

In between the Dixon tales we have a story of a disillusioned Support For Learning teacher. It's the job I do. Reading about it not only reflected many of my own fears, it also highlighted perfectly the difficulties of the job in a way that is far-too-rarely mentioned. And boy does this one wear steel toe caps.

Dixon is the kind of lady who'll be in a novel some day, you just watch - or at least I hope that's the case; she certainly deserves to have a longer work of her very own.

Fantastic.

This is a wonderful collection and I'm off to take another kicking in the very near future.

A+

Very well presented format / proofing for the Kindle.

I was lucky enough to download a series of books by McDroll through some special offer by Amazon. I regret I think I failed to give a review for "Kick it together" as a simple oversight, for which I apologise.

McDroll writes with a spare economy for detail that delights. There is a precision that actively obscures the outside world and forces you to focus on what is before you. Sometimes this can become overwhelming and you need to come up for breath just to remember what's going on.

Generally I find "noir" genre too restrictive, too dark, frankly too depressing. These stories don't fall at any of these fences and reward you with a tale well told. I'd possibly accuse the ending of being abrupt, but I don't think that's a fault in this case :)

A collection of ten short stories which all have one thing in common: No frills. These tales cut right to heart of the matter, they don't meander along with unnecessary flowery language or page filling meaningless unwanted description. This collection bypasses the pleasantries and goes straight for the jugular. How refreshing! The endings when they come are usually harsh, stark and a shock to the system. McDroll's stripped back style is interesting and unique.

Three of the ten stories star DC Gemma Dixon. A wisecracking young woman working hard to survive and thrive in the man's world that is modern policing. McDroll's collection of stories is set in Scotland and her use of language reflects that giving added realism. If asked to pick a favourite it would have to be Drowning. The author conveys the internal dialogue of a desperate woman excellently and ends the story with a flourish of brilliance. Some of the tales really managed to capture my imagination.

A Straight Game - A playful tale with a couple of humorous characters chewing the fat in a game shop. Things soon degenerate and the tale takes a violent turn for the worse.

No More Choices - A bleak tale that is stark, gritty and realistic. Desperation this time is a motivating factor for a dark deed.

The Return Journey - A reflective, haunting and cleverly executed tale that is one of my favourites of the collection. McDroll shows a real storyteller's eye for detail and the backdrop for this story is harsh but ultimately believable.

The Trip - The tension builds surely throughout before the story reaches an explosive climax.

A very enjoyable 5 star read for lovers of short flash fiction. A great value collection that is well worth downloading.