Recommended by David Patton

It's been a while...a wee while too long for my liking! But ahhh, was this just so worth waiting for. Vivian uses weather as metaphor, analogy and scene setting. As ever, her characters are layered and believable. A sweet little morality play, and, as one of my fictional heroes would say..."Sublime...chust sublime."

Okay...I admit...I'm a fan. Whether it's one of her complex murder mysteries, or a seemingly simple dialogue beteween two 'ordinary-everyday' characters, or in this case what, at first take, appears to be a tale of a chance encounter, Lermond's characters are rarely what we presume them to be at first read. Kinda like one of those restorers peeling away the layers of an old master...and then voilà!

Once again Lermond's heroines rise to the occasion, the delectable, sweet, old fashioned and sharp as a tack duo crack the crime and see the gang off for their dastardly deeds. Vivian captures the differences in language and style between the brash New Yorkers and the refined, almost genteel English cast, even down to the spelling 'errors' our American cousins continue to perpetrate on our spelling...delicious and a wonderful script for stage or screen...

I genuinely have no idea what a Keto is, wouldn't know one if it sat on my plate of Cardoons, and Quinoa Risotto. But thankfully for our ravenous couple, they have dumped the miserable faddy foods and on to the joyous fatty ones... Oh happy days and bring on a pretentious slab of Wagyu beef, bloody and beautiful.
Vivian perfectly paints a picture of a pretentious pair's coming out party!

Too much time in the sun has this girl sunburned and clearly frazzled! Her beau, intending to compliment, gets in the last sweet word, or should I say...a sting in this tail...
Delicious once again Vivian, and all wrapped up in less time than it takes to order the soup.

Now perhaps if I'd read Lermond's account of the short life of our heroine, I would have warmed more to Shakespeare himself...alas... The ghost of Desdemona gives sound advice as only a spurned, wronged and murdered wife can. But even then, with all of the benefits surely the afterlife can bestow, she is yet mystified at the actions of her slayer. But...but, a word of warning is here for any young damsel blinkered by passion... Listen to your Father! Now if only my daughters had...oh well. Another wee gem from one of my favourite playwrights.

Oh how I'd love to be in the stalls watching this unfold on stage! Meaty, rich characters, sharp dialogue, conflict, arguments, good food, bad drunks, family bust up...yep, a family Xmas. Now I like to think I can guess how a tale will unfold, and I had this one sussed...damn you Lermond!! This tale had me off on an entirely different tangent, the dénouement was Agathy Christie...Tales of the Unexpected...Hitchcock genius!!

It's been a while since Vivian has posted on here, but I forgive her my withdrawal agonies after this wee monologue. She packs in so much advice I can use for my Granddaughter that I should be paying her consultancy fees. The wise words from the older Midge to the young Eloise will, we suspect, be ignored in favor of her "hot-to-trot, lust-lovin’ hormones". This isn't written from a be-bittered older woman, but from a wise sage I suspect has given this advice often before. How Lermond packs so much into so little....

I love that Chis hasn't taken the easy way out...you know, the happy Disney ending.
This is a tele of unremitting cruelty perpetrated by a cruel world on a guy who eventually believes that this is his deserved lot for being the runt.
Life in the raw cruelly and perfectly laid out for us. It's a hard read, as it should be...applause Chris.

Oh Paul...suckered! having read a few of your shorts, I was trying to figure your O'Henry twist at the end...but you got me. The dialogue between the two men gave no clues as to where this would lead, and I'm usually pretty good at being a Sherlock...got me!! Love it.