Under the Bridge by Geoffrey Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I got this one due to the author, who I knew wrote funny and very entertaining stories. Under the Bridge is definitely not what I was expecting as it’s a tense, gripping, and possibly surprising story. It’s not romance nor is there a happy ending. It’s more of a brief glimpse into a tense situation. The writing is incredible though and I’d consider this one an easy recommendation for fans of interesting literature. It goes beyond the typical m/m genre in the best ways.
The plot is pretty simplistic though more depth is added as the story develops. Ten years ago Dylan and his then boyfriend Kayne were attacked and Dylan emerged as the only survivor. Plagued by the events of that night all this time, Dylan attempts to put the night behind him once and for all. However the convicted killer is also back at the same place ten years later. Only one will emerge with the truth.
The story uses numerous flashbacks from present time to the night of the murder and subsequent events such as the trial and attempting to move on. Dylan is now with Mitch, the local police chief and man who saved Dylan from death. Together they’re trying to put this fateful night behind them. The flashbacks are well used and the writing is elegant and clean. The simplicity of words evokes the perfect atmosphere for this creepy tale while giving just enough insight into the characters to make you interested.
The ending does have a surprise twist, though it was one I figured out earlier on with the help of many clues. There are enough clues to pick up on the ending but they can also be easily missed giving a nice jolt to readers at the end. I do think this story could easily have been expanded to a much longer and more involved tale. At the same time I’m not going to hold that against the story as I walked away satisfied, interested, and happy to have read it.
While I usually equate Knight with more comedic and light-hearted writing from my experience, I’m impressed with the quality of this short and how close to pitch perfect it is. There could have been more characterization in general and more depth to the insanity of the killer, along with a more concrete ending for the main character but overall I feel these are minor qualms in the face of a solidly written and engaging short story. I can easily recommend this to those fans that like a quick, creepy little who-dun-it.
three am 
I reviewed this one at BER and quite enjoyed it as well. Definitely different, and I, maybe a bit dim, didn’t see the ending coming. LOL Well, part of it, but not all of it. 🙂
I’m not sure why I picked up on it, perhaps because I thought it was a little “too pat” given the set up. I’ll have to hop over to BER and read what you wrote. I was actually just thinking about BER lately because I’ve been liking short stories more. Yet I never seem satisfied with short stories. If I like the story, I want it longer. If I don’t like the story, well it didn’t work.
Short stories can’t win!
LOL Sometimes I want more, sometimes I want less. ;-\ Every now and then though, it’s just right. Oh my god, I’ve fallen into the three bears fairy tale, but I’m no Goldilocks. 😉
Hm. Definitely a book to keep in mind when I want something gritty and without the happy ending 🙂
Thank you!