New short fiction writer Timothy Patrick does something spectacular in To Make a Long Story Short: he blends humor, drama, and suspense in a tightly wrought script that secures his place as a master observer and storyteller. Written as an everyman collection, his highly accessible prose is sharp, intelligent, and sublime. Beginning with "Woe Is Me," he gives powerful insight into being grateful when one is looking at the big picture of life. What follows is a literary foursome that sings with energy, charm, and wit. Whether it is the fearlessness of "The Final Tip" or the bite of "Baker's...

First comes the miracle and then comes the madness. The miracle is the birth of identical triplets, and the madness is all about money, of course. The year is 1916 and the newborn baby girls have become pint-size celebrities. Unfortunately, this small portion of fame soon leads to a much larger portion of greed, and the triplets are split up-parceled out to the highest bidders. Two of the girls go to live in a hilltop mansion. The third girl isn't so lucky. She ends up with a shady family that lives in an abandoned work camp. That's how their lives begin: two on top, one on the bottom, and...