Review: Wonderful Stories!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 8, 2014
In her new collection of short stories, “Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads,” S.R. Mallery has a treat for all readers, whether they like action, romance, suspense, or mystery.  What makes this connection unique is S.R.Mallery’s ability to weave historical details into her stories, creating thrilling experiences for the readers that will both entertain and enlighten.Many single-author collection of short stories tend to focus on the same kinds of issues, the same time period, or the same genre. But not S.R. Mallery’s book. Each of her stories is unique, interesting, and unexpected. The only thing that is consistent among all her stories is her fast-paced and engaging narrative style, beautiful literary language combined with the appeal and thrills of commercial fiction and  surprising plot twists.As you read the book, you will be transported from your world today to such varied times and places as the land of Hopi Indians, Nazi Germany, Salem Witch Trials, Wall Street in the 1980’s, and other surprising and historically rich times and places.I thoroughly enjoyed each story.  I loved “Sewing Can Be Dangerous”  because of the masterful interplay between the past and the present events in it, and the surprising discovery that the protagonist  reveals at the end of the story, bringing the horrendous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire back to the present. I couldn’t put “A Drunkard’s Path” down until I finished it and got to the satisfying ending that brought together the events of Salem Witch Trials and the present time,  the ending that freed the young bride in the story from her suffering. “A Plague on Both Your Houses,” another wonderful tale of realistically portrayed characters whose lives intersect in unusual ways, is reminiscent of the timeless Romeo and Juliet romance, updated for today’s readers. A wonderful collection. Highly recommended.