“The Hangman’s Noose” by Theodore Cromack (CreateSpace, 148 pages, $10) reviewed by Tinky Weisblat
“The number thirteen was thought to be unlucky,” writes Ted Cromack at the beginning of his new short-story collection, “The Hangman’s Noose.”
“Consequently, in myth, if not in actual practice, thirteen twists were found in a hangman’s noose, a foreboding sign for those convicted to be hanged.”
Cromack was raised in our area, but left western Massachusetts to serve in the Air Force. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, and has taught at a number of colleges and universities. He now lives in Shelburne and has written four previous books.
“The Hangman’s Noose” includes 13 short stories, which true to the book’s title offer plenty of twists. Some of the stories span decades; others, just a day or two. Some are set in the past; others, in the present. All of them offer brief portraits of human beings looking for some kind of change in their lives.
A few stories are humorous. “Stanley’s Game” (a title with more than one meaning) describes a frequent fisherman’s ongoing attempts to deceive the local environmental police officer about the nature of his fishing hauls.
“Meet My Wife” brings poetic justice to a not-too-bright bigamist. “The Happy Wanderer” revolves around a light-hearted soul hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Other tales in the book are deadly serious. In “The Veteran’s Memory,” a traumatized sergeant is trapped by the legacy of his time serving in Iraq.
In “George’s Ghost,” a widower tries to cope with the guilt he feels after his wife dies in a car crash. In “The Medal,” an investigator probes the motive for his elderly aunt’s murder.
The author has obviously studied his genre. In general, his stories are spare and full of surprises, little gems of fiction that are a pleasure to read. They often end with fun jolts.
Some of his protagonists are very canny; others tend to delude themselves. Just about all of them make interesting companions for the reader.
Cromack appears to focus on topics that interest him — the military, golf, fishing, health. One needn’t share those interests to find the book appealing, though. His overall subject matter is human nature, a topic that should appeal to any reader.
Ted Cromack will read from “The Hangman’s Noose” on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. at the Greenfield Public Library on Main Street in Greenfield. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. The book is also available from some bookstores, Amazon.com, and from the author (tcromack27@comcast.net).
Tinky Weisblat is the author of “The Pudding Hollow Cookbook” and “Pulling Taffy.” Visit her website, www.TinkyCooks.com