The Affair by James Cain
Genre: Psychological thriller, Short stories, Quick reads
Read: 3rd January 2024
Published: 10th November 2022
★★★ 3 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Alice Ruffalo is on the run from her violent husband. She believes she found safety in a rundown motel in a small town.
The handsome motel clerk helps take her mind off her fears, until she starts to hear weird sounds outside her motel room and sees shadowy figures near her door.
Alice finds out the hard way that she shouldn't have stopped in this small town. Her husband knows exactly where she is.
This is a psychological thrilling short story offered exclusively to members of James Caine's newsletter.
MY THOUGHTS:
A short story about bad surprises.
Alice Ruffalo is on the run from her mafia boss husband, his last words still ringing in her ears.
"If you leave me, I'll kill you."
But as soon as he walked out the door that morning, she packed her bag and hustled Francesca into her portable crate, leaving her wedding rings on the short but not so sweet parting note for her husband to find on his return. She knows he will not be happy but this time was a stretch too far.
Now she finds herself in Peace River, population 3450. With only two places on offer and the more attractive of the two virtually shutting the door in her face citing they don't accept pets, Alice now finds herself in the shabby office of the run-down motel across the road. But any second thoughts she had about the place vanish when the manager walks in, handsome and smiling. Maybe she had landed on her feet here after all.
But then strange things begin happening. Noises in the night. Banging on the walls. The phone ringing off the hook. Shadows on the walls. And then she realises. She may have run from her husband, but she has not escaped him. He knows exactly where she is...and Alice knows she is no longer safe.
I felt like I'd checked into the Bates Motel with this quick read AJ Carter sent in his latest newsletter. It certainly had those Bates Motel vibes about it. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on really but it was an entertaining read just the same. And quick, taking me just under an hour to read.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
James Caine is mysterious since this is not his real identity, but a pen name. James was his alternate name when volunteering at a suicide hotline. Caine derived from a fictional villain in one of his stories. He asks that you not psychoanalyze that last part.
He lives with his Queen and two young Princes in Alberta, Canada.
James loves to hear from his readers.
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