Three Smile Mile - Chad Lutzke

I’m going to open this review by saying I loved it – Lutzke’s easy-flowing storytelling style and the intrinsically good character of its MC make it impossible to have any other opinion. Chad writes characters that are logical, human, and flawed but ultimately decent human beings. They might be put into situations that are impossible, heart-rending or dangerous, yet their basic humanity is what wins them through – as in Three Smile Mile – the drama here is human, the beauty is human, and throughout it all, as in all of his works, that thread of Hope that imbues every page is the thing we all devour his books for.

I won’t summarize the plot here, you can read the blurb on the cover or on Amazon or Goodreads, but I will say Lutzke keeps it simple. This isn’t a story that could go on indefinitely, it comes to its bittersweet conclusion quickly – plays out its violence and love in a single sitting, gets you invested in the characters in record time then destroys you with the simple play of logic with a phone tracking app. That sour note, hidden amongst the wild ride love story informs the reader right from the start that there isn’t going to be a fairytale ending.

I can see Lutzke’s hesitation in classifying this as horror – there are elements of many genres in the mix here, noir, thriller, romance, the great American road trip, crime, and yes, horror. I don’t think it matters. I, like all of the other readers, will have got this book because it has Chad Lutzke’s name on the cover, and we get what we expected. Humanity shown in all of its wonderful, hopeful, and desperate colors.

If you haven’t read any of Lutzke’s books until now, this is an excellent place to start, but honestly, you’ll want to invest your money in getting the collection.

Chad, as always, it was a pleasure.

My thanks to both Chad Lutzke, Sadie Hartmann, and Static Age Books for the ARC.

All the stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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You can buy Three Smile Mile by clicking on the appropriate Amazon link, below:

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You can visit Chad's website, HERE.

You can join me in trying to talk Chad into making a website for his Weasels too.

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