Sapling Grove Secrets

By Errol Hess. Wetknee Books, 2014. 46 pages. $5.99/paperback; $0.99/eBook.

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On the About the Author page at the back, Hess looks like he is having a roaring good time: mouth open in laughter, as someone’s hand lies lazily across his shoulder in the photo. And you can join right in by opening this little book that promises on the cover “Every small town has its secrets.” I would have believed every one of them was true after I finished these stories, and wished for more. The stories are short—four in just 46 pages—but the suspense builds fast. For example, I found myself pulling for the heroine in “Harvest Moon” as if she were a real person. I won’t spoil it for you, but I bet she ends up making a lot of money.