FULLY LOADED by Blake Crouch @blakecrouch1

5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book:  I'd read four of Crouch's novels, then tried a short story, Shining Rock, which I liked very much, so I thought I'd splash out £1.99 on this collection of his short stories.

Fully Loaded is a collection of different lengths, from less than one page (yes, really) to a couple that are a good hour's read, and every one is very good indeed; I wonder if the shorter story may be absolutely Crouch's forte, because each one encapsulates all that is brilliant about his writing.  My favorite novel of his is Abandon, and the very best in the Fully Loaded collection is an outtake from it, On The Good, Red Road, which is as stunningly good as the main story.  My other favourites were The Meteorologist (I enjoyed reading that Mr Crouch adores extreme weather, as I do - he ought to try the frustration of living in boringly moderate England!), about a lonely man who chases storms, Unconditional, which is about a father whose son is a killer, and I loved Serial, because I like reading about grisly murders and psychopaths.  They're all great, though; there isn't one weak one.

Before each story is a short explanation of how it was born.  Excellent book.  Get it.