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Ryan DeMarco Mystery #0.5
Incident on Ten-Right Road
From the critically acclaimed author of the best-selling Ryan DeMarco Mystery series comes this collection of crime novellas and stories, Randall Silvis’s first collection since his The Luckiest Man in the World was awarded the 1984 Drue Heinz Literature Prize by Joyce Carol Oates.
These six short stories and the title novella—a Ryan DeMarco series prequel—brilliantly showcase the author’s compelling storytelling coupled with the deep characterization and exquisite prose for which he is known. Murderers, grifters, and other unsavory characters people these stories, but so too do those struggling to make the world a kinder and less dangerous place.
Praised by the New York Times Book Review as “a masterful storyteller,” Silvis once again demonstrates that he can write short fiction as hypnotic as his novels, and with a distinctive and versatile voice that marks him as one of the best writers at work today.
These six short stories and the title novella—a Ryan DeMarco series prequel—brilliantly showcase the author’s compelling storytelling coupled with the deep characterization and exquisite prose for which he is known. Murderers, grifters, and other unsavory characters people these stories, but so too do those struggling to make the world a kinder and less dangerous place.
Praised by the New York Times Book Review as “a masterful storyteller,” Silvis once again demonstrates that he can write short fiction as hypnotic as his novels, and with a distinctive and versatile voice that marks him as one of the best writers at work today.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2019
3 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Randall Silvis
48 books307 followersRandall Silvis is the internationally acclaimed author of over a dozen novels, one story
collection, and one book of narrative nonfiction. Also a prize-winning playwright, a
produced screenwriter, and a prolific essayist, he has been published and produced in
virtually every field and genre of creative writing. His numerous essays, articles, poems and short stories have appeared in the Discovery Channel magazines, The Writer, Prism International, Short Story International, Manoa, and numerous other online and print magazines. His work has been translated into 10 languages.
Silvis’s many literary awards include two writing fellowships from the National
Endowment for the Arts, the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize, a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Award, six fellowships for his fiction, drama, and screenwriting from the Pennsylvania Council On the Arts, and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree awarded for “distinguished literary achievement.”
collection, and one book of narrative nonfiction. Also a prize-winning playwright, a
produced screenwriter, and a prolific essayist, he has been published and produced in
virtually every field and genre of creative writing. His numerous essays, articles, poems and short stories have appeared in the Discovery Channel magazines, The Writer, Prism International, Short Story International, Manoa, and numerous other online and print magazines. His work has been translated into 10 languages.
Silvis’s many literary awards include two writing fellowships from the National
Endowment for the Arts, the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize, a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Award, six fellowships for his fiction, drama, and screenwriting from the Pennsylvania Council On the Arts, and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree awarded for “distinguished literary achievement.”
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 5, 2019
Review coming!
February 25, 2020
INCIDENT ON TEN-RIGHT ROAD is the first book that I have read by Randall Silvis, which includes the title novella; the prequel to the Ryan DeMarco Mysteries – that takes place eight years before TWO DAYS GONE – the first novel in the series, and concludes with five short crime stories: ‘Watch and Listen,’ ‘A Little Rest,’ ‘Snap,’ ‘On the Verge,’ and ‘Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You.’
It isn’t often that I come across a collection of short stories wherein the tales have me glued to the pages, causing time and my surroundings to fade away blissfully. All the shorts in INCIDENT ON TEN-RIGHT ROAD hit the mark every time, making it difficult to pick a favorite.
The murder mystery novella,INCIDENT ON TEN RIGHT ROAD, is told from Detective Ryan Demarco’s perspective by way of interviews of suspects (in a Q and A format) followed by police report notes, a side seldom seen in by this reader of crime stories and a writing style I enjoyed.
‘Watch and Listen’ - A story of a grandfather who catches his grandson stealing an expensive watch from him and decides to beguile the impressionable fifteen-year-old with a story about his troubled youth so many years ago.
‘A Little Rest - A short-short revenge story (sorry, no spoilers)
‘Snap’ - A journalist’s life is turned upside down when he agrees to meet the fiancé of his old college roommate.
‘On the Verge’ and ‘Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You’ - if I had to pick - these two are probably my top favorites as they lean toward the macabre, and as a huge fan of Horror - I have only to say - Yes, Please!
As I mentioned above, INCIDENT ON TEN-RIGHT ROAD is the prequel novella in the Ryan DeMarco Mysteries, which includes five crime short stories. Next in the series is TWO DAYS GONE, followed by WALKING THE BONES, and A LONG WAY DOWN.
Yep, yet another book series to add to my list. Thankfully, much of my to-be-read list is on my Kindle; otherwise I think I would be buried alive by now, though I can’t think of a better way to go.
Thank you, NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books/Dagger Books, for loaning me an eBook of INCIDENT ON TEN-RIGHT ROAD in exchange for an honest review.
It isn’t often that I come across a collection of short stories wherein the tales have me glued to the pages, causing time and my surroundings to fade away blissfully. All the shorts in INCIDENT ON TEN-RIGHT ROAD hit the mark every time, making it difficult to pick a favorite.
The murder mystery novella,INCIDENT ON TEN RIGHT ROAD, is told from Detective Ryan Demarco’s perspective by way of interviews of suspects (in a Q and A format) followed by police report notes, a side seldom seen in by this reader of crime stories and a writing style I enjoyed.
‘Watch and Listen’ - A story of a grandfather who catches his grandson stealing an expensive watch from him and decides to beguile the impressionable fifteen-year-old with a story about his troubled youth so many years ago.
‘A Little Rest - A short-short revenge story (sorry, no spoilers)
‘Snap’ - A journalist’s life is turned upside down when he agrees to meet the fiancé of his old college roommate.
‘On the Verge’ and ‘Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You’ - if I had to pick - these two are probably my top favorites as they lean toward the macabre, and as a huge fan of Horror - I have only to say - Yes, Please!
As I mentioned above, INCIDENT ON TEN-RIGHT ROAD is the prequel novella in the Ryan DeMarco Mysteries, which includes five crime short stories. Next in the series is TWO DAYS GONE, followed by WALKING THE BONES, and A LONG WAY DOWN.
Yep, yet another book series to add to my list. Thankfully, much of my to-be-read list is on my Kindle; otherwise I think I would be buried alive by now, though I can’t think of a better way to go.
Thank you, NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books/Dagger Books, for loaning me an eBook of INCIDENT ON TEN-RIGHT ROAD in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2019
I am not a fan of short stories but wanted to read the one about Ryan Demarco. This is the first in the book and was very enjoyable with a narrative of evidence and interviews. The other shorts I could not seem to invest in them. "A copy of this book was provided by Riverdale Avenue Books via NetGalley with no requirments for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion. Look forward to more Demarco full length novels.
June 28, 2019
Randall Silvis is consistently good. I especially liked the prequel novella, because this storyline is where I discovered this author and fell in love with his writing. I'm still not a big fan of short stories although I like some of them, they always make me wish for more of the story. Just my own personal choice.
October 31, 2020
I suppose I should begin this review with full transparency. I've known Randy for almost 40 years. He was my 9th grade writing teacher at Knoch High School in Saxonburg, PA. And I starred in the world premieres of two of his plays: "The Riddle of the Sphinx" at the Butler, PA Little Theatre and "Driven to Acts of Kindness" at Clarion University (also in Western PA). Therefore, I hardly can be considered an objective reviewer.
Having said that, I objectively believe Randy is a brilliant writer. Unfortunately, he has never gained the notoriety he deserves because his writing falls between two genres - something he confesses to in the author interview that appears at the end of the first installment in the Ryan DeMarco series ("Two Days Gone"). Basically, his books are too intricate and plot driven for "literature." But they're also too literary for the "mysteries" genre. The good news for Randy and his fans, myself included, is that he's finally getting the recognition he deserves thanks to the Ryan DeMarco series.
This collection of two novellas and four short stories includes a prequel novella to that successful series. Given how much I love the DeMarco series, it's not surprising that "Incident on Ten-Right Road" (the first novella) was my favorite of the six. I also enjoyed the other novella ("And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You").
Unfortunately, I thought the four short stories were uneven at best. I enjoyed the very short story "A Little Rest." And one of the longer stories ("On the Verge") was okay. But the other two ("Watch and Listen" and "Snap") weren't my favorite. I just didn't think they were some of Randy's best writing.
Still, I liked and am glad I read this collection. I just think he's done a lot better work.
Having said that, I objectively believe Randy is a brilliant writer. Unfortunately, he has never gained the notoriety he deserves because his writing falls between two genres - something he confesses to in the author interview that appears at the end of the first installment in the Ryan DeMarco series ("Two Days Gone"). Basically, his books are too intricate and plot driven for "literature." But they're also too literary for the "mysteries" genre. The good news for Randy and his fans, myself included, is that he's finally getting the recognition he deserves thanks to the Ryan DeMarco series.
This collection of two novellas and four short stories includes a prequel novella to that successful series. Given how much I love the DeMarco series, it's not surprising that "Incident on Ten-Right Road" (the first novella) was my favorite of the six. I also enjoyed the other novella ("And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You").
Unfortunately, I thought the four short stories were uneven at best. I enjoyed the very short story "A Little Rest." And one of the longer stories ("On the Verge") was okay. But the other two ("Watch and Listen" and "Snap") weren't my favorite. I just didn't think they were some of Randy's best writing.
Still, I liked and am glad I read this collection. I just think he's done a lot better work.
June 26, 2022
Good stories, some are little graphic. Excellent writing.
January 8, 2026
As with most short story collections, this one is somewhat uneven, but the title story is one of the better police procedurals I've read. It almost reads like it was an outline for a novel that never got written...DeMarco's investigative technique is well-documented and made for a very enjoyable read.
July 2, 2019
“Her legs were poetry, a couplet of long graceful lines that rose from the concrete to the sublime. Her hips and breasts and shoulders, all the right curves and undulations.... I don’t know how else to describe them but to say that she wore her body like an ermine coat, something rare and expensive but she was used to it, comfortable in its luxury.”
This collection contains a novella featuring the protagonist of the phenomenal Ryan DeMarco mystery series, which takes place eight years prior to the series starter, TWO DAYS GONE, along with five short stories.
“Incident on Ten-Right Road” allows the reader to play detective alongside Ryan DeMarco by providing reports of interviews, cell phone records, forensics, and investigation activities related to the murder of a nineteen-year-old woman who was involved in a love triangle.
“Watch and Listen” features a man who attempts to convince his grandson to avoid making the mistake of falling in with a bad crowd.
In “A Little Rest,” a father seeks vengeance and a sense of peace.
“Snap,” the source of the above quote and “On the Verge” involve femme fatales. The protagonist of the former is a reporter who becomes enchanted by his best friend’s mysterious fiancé, while the latter involves a couple on a cruise who discover an opportunity for easy money.
“And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You” follows a blogger who becomes obsessed with a young man on a murder spree, which gains his attention.
All of the stories are winners, but my favorites are “Incident on Ten-Right Road,” “Snap,” and “And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You.” Every story is a new release with the exception of “Snap,” which originally appeared in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. While there’s a freshness to each story, they nicely fit well together. I’m a huge fan of the Ryan DeMarco series, so feeling like I solved a crime along with him was a special treat. The latest installment of the series, A LONG WAY DOWN, is a vivid, visceral read. “Snap,” with its neo noir atmosphere immediately pulled me in. “And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You” explores the fascinating thought process of a psychopath.
Thanks to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books/Dagger Imprint for providing an Advance Reader Copy.
I highly recommend this awesome collection of mystery and crime stories. The titular story is the perfect gateway drug into a fantastic mystery series.
This collection contains a novella featuring the protagonist of the phenomenal Ryan DeMarco mystery series, which takes place eight years prior to the series starter, TWO DAYS GONE, along with five short stories.
“Incident on Ten-Right Road” allows the reader to play detective alongside Ryan DeMarco by providing reports of interviews, cell phone records, forensics, and investigation activities related to the murder of a nineteen-year-old woman who was involved in a love triangle.
“Watch and Listen” features a man who attempts to convince his grandson to avoid making the mistake of falling in with a bad crowd.
In “A Little Rest,” a father seeks vengeance and a sense of peace.
“Snap,” the source of the above quote and “On the Verge” involve femme fatales. The protagonist of the former is a reporter who becomes enchanted by his best friend’s mysterious fiancé, while the latter involves a couple on a cruise who discover an opportunity for easy money.
“And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You” follows a blogger who becomes obsessed with a young man on a murder spree, which gains his attention.
All of the stories are winners, but my favorites are “Incident on Ten-Right Road,” “Snap,” and “And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You.” Every story is a new release with the exception of “Snap,” which originally appeared in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. While there’s a freshness to each story, they nicely fit well together. I’m a huge fan of the Ryan DeMarco series, so feeling like I solved a crime along with him was a special treat. The latest installment of the series, A LONG WAY DOWN, is a vivid, visceral read. “Snap,” with its neo noir atmosphere immediately pulled me in. “And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You” explores the fascinating thought process of a psychopath.
Thanks to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books/Dagger Imprint for providing an Advance Reader Copy.
I highly recommend this awesome collection of mystery and crime stories. The titular story is the perfect gateway drug into a fantastic mystery series.
December 22, 2019
A book by Randall Silvis is like sitting down with a friend for a long conversation and Incident is another great conversation. Usually short story books leave me longing for more and I wish each story could be made into an entire book by fleshing it out more. This time, I didn't feel that way as each one was fully a story that satisfied that longing for more.
The title story was a murder investigation by our old friend Detective Ryan DeMarco. He is a loner with a sad past and gives the investigation his all every time, as he does here. I love how the chapters end with his notes on what he has found and what he has to still check out.
The other stories all dealt with murders and maybe the theme of the stories can be summed up as some people go bad; how do you tell which people will do that and what happens to them that does not happen to the rest of us to make them murder? I can say I liked the way they were laid out for us to see what made these people do what they did; his style is comfortable to read.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion. I always like books by Silvis and eagerly looked forward to this one. It did not disappoint. 4.5 stars.
The title story was a murder investigation by our old friend Detective Ryan DeMarco. He is a loner with a sad past and gives the investigation his all every time, as he does here. I love how the chapters end with his notes on what he has found and what he has to still check out.
The other stories all dealt with murders and maybe the theme of the stories can be summed up as some people go bad; how do you tell which people will do that and what happens to them that does not happen to the rest of us to make them murder? I can say I liked the way they were laid out for us to see what made these people do what they did; his style is comfortable to read.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion. I always like books by Silvis and eagerly looked forward to this one. It did not disappoint. 4.5 stars.
November 30, 2019
Three and a half stars for this book. It’s always hard to rate a book of short stories because inevitably some stories are better than others. I wanted to read this book mainly because the title story is the prequel to the Ryan DeMarco series which I enjoyed. I was disappointed because it didn’t feel like a prequel or even short story. I thought, wrongly, that it would be the backstory of the incident that took his son’s life which is an underlining story to not only the series but also to DeMarco’s character development. It had nothing to do with anything relevant to the series that I could find and didn’t provide any development to his character. I’m not sure why it was even written. I liked a couple of the other short stories but found the others lacking something...they were almost like shallow fillers to make the book long enough for publishing.
July 15, 2019
I'm not a fan of short stories but I found these entertaining and engrossing.
I loved them all even if my favorite is the one with same title of the book.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved them all even if my favorite is the one with same title of the book.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
January 2, 2020
What an amazing collection of stories! I bought this mainly because it has a prequel to the Ryan DeMarco series. The other stories are smart and so well-written.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews