First published back in July of 1984, Phil Garrison’s short tale ‘The Good Luck Smiling Cat’ was released as a stand-alone story for the Fearon Education ‘Fastback’ series. The Fastback series were designed to encourage reluctant readers to take up reading, keeping the stories short, sharp and thrilling. This one was published within the ‘Mystery’ series.
The story was later published within the ‘Claws & Feathers’ (1989) Fastback Anthology.
DLS Synopsis:
DLS Synopsis:
Mark Pryor had been out with the boys for a few drinks after work. He’d lost track of time and now it was getting late. He knew Lois wasn’t going to be happy with him, and so he’d popped into the local department store looking for a small gift for her. The five inch smiling cat ornament with ‘Good Luck’ emblazoned on its base seemed the perfect silly apology gift.
However, good luck was far from what was on Mark’s side that night. He’d just finished paying for the ornament and was on his way out of the store when a dark-haired woman bumps into him. The next thing Mark knows, he’s being stopped by security for attempted theft. In his jacket pocket, a necklace of shiny red and white stones. A necklace that Mark has never seen before.
Things escalate quickly, the security guard not accepting any of Mark’s pleas of innocence. In the ensuing struggle, the security guard’s gun goes off. A gunshot which leads to tragedy. And with that, Mark can see his marriage, his job, and his way of life all ending…
Here we have a clever little murder mystery. Essentially, a series of events which escalate at a head-spinning rate, but still somehow hold onto an air of believability. Bad luck (or seemingly so), which snowballs, leading to an accidental shooting and our protagonist – Mark – in the picture as being responsible for it all.
Of course, there’s more to this than what it looks like at face value. However, Mark’s a smart cookie. He soon works it all out, the elaborate ploy, and after some cunning investigatory work, he gets to the bottom of who is really behind it all. A clever story, with plenty in there, despite its short length, to keep you guessing.
The Fastback runs for a total of 29 pages (which are just 4” x 5.5” with an average word count of around 100 words per page).
© DLS Reviews
