The Straw Man and a Murder A Horror Story edition by Jeff Menapace Literature Fiction eBooks
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From the bestselling author of the Bad Games series, comes a harrowing short story of love and vengeance.
THE WICKED MUST BE PUNISHED...
A ten-year-old boy finds solace from his abusive father in the cornfields where his 'friends' reside. One of these friends is a scarecrow. The others are crows.
When his father's violence goes too far, something must be done, and before the night is up, the wicked will learn that vengeance comes in many shapes and sizes.
This short story also appears in WARPED A Menapace Collection of Short Horror, Thriller, and Suspense Fiction
The Straw Man and a Murder A Horror Story edition by Jeff Menapace Literature Fiction eBooks
The difference between good horror and mediocre horror isn't necessarily originality, because, let's face it, there are few original ideas for horror stories nowadays. It's how the stories are told. That's why, when youngsters gather around the campfire late at night, the familiar tales of crazed killers and urban legends can still evoke chills, even though the listeners have heard them year after year. It's all in the way the story unfolds. And, based on my first experience with Jeff Menapace, he knows how to tell a story."The Straw Man and a Murder" will sound quite familiar to any reader who has even a nodding acquaintance with horror. Not only that, but the readers can guess pretty much what's going to happen from the first page. A young boy, Thomas Bowen, lives with his father on a farm. The boy's mother ran off with another man, and Thomas' drunken, abusive dad blames him and takes out his frustration on the boy by means of some rather vicious beatings. Thomas' only "friend" is the scarecrow in the field, for whom he draws pictures of a happier family that doesn't include his father.
I won't spoil what happens in "Straw Man," but it's not tough to guess, especially given the story's title. But knowing what's going to happen and seeing how it transpires are two different things, and Menapace is a gifted writer who is quite good at describing brutality and savagery. He takes his time here, first showing just how hellish Thomas' life with his abusive father is. Menapace's language isn't excessively explicit, but he describes some rather coarse brutality heaped on poor Thomas. And, he is patient as he does so, allowing readers' anger to build. And then, things change. Again, Menapace takes his time in describing what happens. Overall, the story has a measured pace to it, with the author allowing his morality play to run its course. And he finishes the story with a flourish, a clever play on words that puts a highly enjoyable exclamation mark on the goings on.
"Straw Man" actually plays out somewhat like an episode from a television horror anthology, and, indeed, there are a number of similarities between this story and a classic episode of Boris Karloff's "Thriller" that also involved a scarecrow, a nasty person, and a secluded farmhouse. Of course, freed of the censorship restraints that held back a 1960's TV program, Menapace can fashion a considerably more gruesome tale here, and he does.
"The Straw Man and a Murder" is the rare story that seemed to me to be exactly the right length. It took a fairly straightforward story and told it without padding or attempts at explanation of how some things in it were possible while, at the same time, describing events in full as they unfold. It's the type of story that could easily have been told around the campfire. Fortunately, readers here can choose to do so in the more reassuring light of day.
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The Straw Man and a Murder A Horror Story edition by Jeff Menapace Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
This is a good short story that's been told hundreds of times, but I still enjoyed it none the less. Jeff's a great writer. Yep, I'd recommend this story and author.
And nicely done. I am generally not one for short stories but this one is well written and comes with a viscerally satisfying conclusion.
What comes around goes around. You stand for what you stand for. As did Hunter's son and his best friend
Very entertaining short story by Jeff Menapace. It is one of his earlier stories, but I enjoyed it just as much as the more recent ones I have read. It's a great quick read!
A great short story. Characters are built at the very beginning getting the reader right into the story. Another great horror tale by Jeff Menapace.
I really liked this short story. It was very well written with very good character development for a short. The author was able to involve me in the story virtually immediately, which I think would be very hard to do in a mere 17 pages. The dialogue was natural and smooth. The story was edited well. I found no errors in grammar and no typos.
The story was a bit predictable, but it read well and the predictability did not lessen my interest in seeing it through to the conclusion.
I have a lot of respect for an author who can bring a story full circle in 17 short pages. Well done, sir!
There was some coarse language. There was no sexual content. There was violence.
I recommend this story and I would read this author again.
Tommy is forced to lived with his father and has to endure all types of mental, emotional, and physical abuse from him. His only solace is drawing and spending time with his "friend", The Scarecrow. His father finds it to be a waste of time and continues to belittle Thomas every chance he gets. Until one day the tables are turned on him and he gets a taste of his own medicine.
The Straw Man & a Murder is a very short story, but the author does an incredible job of capturing a complete story in just a few pages. Author Jeff Menapace has earned a place on my favorite author list. He has an ability to tap into his characters and bring them alive on the pages of each book he writes. If you haven't read a Jeff Menapace book - I suggested you a grab one and start reading it.
The difference between good horror and mediocre horror isn't necessarily originality, because, let's face it, there are few original ideas for horror stories nowadays. It's how the stories are told. That's why, when youngsters gather around the campfire late at night, the familiar tales of crazed killers and urban legends can still evoke chills, even though the listeners have heard them year after year. It's all in the way the story unfolds. And, based on my first experience with Jeff Menapace, he knows how to tell a story.
"The Straw Man and a Murder" will sound quite familiar to any reader who has even a nodding acquaintance with horror. Not only that, but the readers can guess pretty much what's going to happen from the first page. A young boy, Thomas Bowen, lives with his father on a farm. The boy's mother ran off with another man, and Thomas' drunken, abusive dad blames him and takes out his frustration on the boy by means of some rather vicious beatings. Thomas' only "friend" is the scarecrow in the field, for whom he draws pictures of a happier family that doesn't include his father.
I won't spoil what happens in "Straw Man," but it's not tough to guess, especially given the story's title. But knowing what's going to happen and seeing how it transpires are two different things, and Menapace is a gifted writer who is quite good at describing brutality and savagery. He takes his time here, first showing just how hellish Thomas' life with his abusive father is. Menapace's language isn't excessively explicit, but he describes some rather coarse brutality heaped on poor Thomas. And, he is patient as he does so, allowing readers' anger to build. And then, things change. Again, Menapace takes his time in describing what happens. Overall, the story has a measured pace to it, with the author allowing his morality play to run its course. And he finishes the story with a flourish, a clever play on words that puts a highly enjoyable exclamation mark on the goings on.
"Straw Man" actually plays out somewhat like an episode from a television horror anthology, and, indeed, there are a number of similarities between this story and a classic episode of Boris Karloff's "Thriller" that also involved a scarecrow, a nasty person, and a secluded farmhouse. Of course, freed of the censorship restraints that held back a 1960's TV program, Menapace can fashion a considerably more gruesome tale here, and he does.
"The Straw Man and a Murder" is the rare story that seemed to me to be exactly the right length. It took a fairly straightforward story and told it without padding or attempts at explanation of how some things in it were possible while, at the same time, describing events in full as they unfold. It's the type of story that could easily have been told around the campfire. Fortunately, readers here can choose to do so in the more reassuring light of day.
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