This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
One Heartbeat Past Normal is a collection of macabre short stories written by Dennis Timothy. Each tale is self-contained, and there is no general theme connecting them. They are all, however, tales that are, literally, One Heartbeat Past Normal. Tranquility Park is a noir tale about a retired cop and his favorite diner, and it has the mood and ambiance of a hard-boiled detective story. Grandpa's Flask recounts the last few days of a retired Navy man's life as he tells his grandson stories about serving and the conflicts he'd been part of. A Watched Pot Never Boils is a slice of hill-country tall-telling about a healer and his special gifts. Each story has a weird twist to it: some are dark, but others make you smile. No one story is entirely predictable.
Dennis Timothy's short story collection One Heartbeat Past Normal is a delight. These stories are apt to give the reader a frisson of awe, terror or a slightly uncomfortable feeling of the unknown, in much the same way as the better tales in the old TV series One Step Beyond and Twilight Zone did. Each tale is a self-contained gem, sparkling and enticing, and they bring their own little worlds to life so beautifully. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started at the first tale, Perspective, but I found myself swiftly drawn into that first story and then successively into each of the subsequent tales. The stories in One Heartbeat Past Normal are somewhat like treats that one indulges in during a break or whenever it's possible to slip away from the commotion of the world for some enjoyable reading. I found myself anticipating with delight the start of a new tale and I felt a bit bereft when I realized that I had hit the last page of this book. One Heartbeat Past Normal is very highly recommended.
