Sticky Fingers

If the balance is off, bad things can happen.

In the book Sticky Fingers, J.T.Lawrence has given the reader twelve beautifully written and unexpected short stories. Each is quite unique, told almost exclusively from the point of view of the main protagonist, be that a kleptomaniac woman, a suicidal baby or, in the case of this reader's personal favourite, Travelling Slacks, a detailed entry into the Trip Adviser Review and the conversation which results from it between the guest and the owner of the establishment.

Each time, the author takes the reader inside the head of the character who is telling their own story, and sometimes there just might be another person already inside, as in the detective investigation, She Did It. And not everything is as it first appears. Most are enjoyable, all very readable and strange but at the same time completely human and real, little tastes of the surprising unique individuality of people.

The audiobook is narrated by Bianca Flanders and it is a reading rather than a performance, with little variation given to different character definition. The timbre of her voice is pleasant and well paced, she reads, too, with apparent understanding and her pronunciation crystal sharp. However, her slight accent (South African?) sometimes left me uncertain of a given word, as in the story entitled The Itch which I initially believed was called The Etch, to my puzzlement. This mistake rapidly was corrected but there were other occasions where the meaning remained unresolved. But overall, hers was a good narration.

Sticky Fingers is more than a collection of short stories. It is a coming together of a small group of individuals, each with some strange quirk which the author brings vividly to life for the reader. Not necessarily always likable, each is, however, interesting and well worth getting to know. It is a remarkable experience.
Definitely recommended.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fresh new talent

Audio Book Review
Sticky Fingers Volume 1 By Jt. Lawrence.

A fantastic collection of dark short stories. I thought these were gripping to listen to and well written. The narrator had a calming soothing voice that wrapped you up in a blanket of darkness and macabre. Honestly I can't say I had a favourite tale as they were all pretty marvellous to listen to. I highly recommend listening to this or reading the book. A highly addictive experience to indulge into this world.
Five Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
By Jennifer.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great mix of stories

This was fab. Such a mix from Itch, an itch that has consequences to Sticky Fingers how tempting to pick that up and why?
JT Lawrence has covered lots of topics to tempt the listener to keep them enthralled. The narrator is very clear and well spoken. Very enjoyable.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Thoroughly enjoyed

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

I had never heard of this author but I love short stories so thought I'd give the book a go. Honestly I was blown away. It's hard to review short stories without spoilers but some of the endings had me exclaim out loud. A couple times I thought I knew what twist was coming and the twist was twisted.
Thoroughly enjoyed and will look out for more by this author.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A must read for J.T. Lawrence fans

I normally don’t enjoy short stories, but being this collection written by J.T. Lawrence, I had to listen to it. They are twelve clever stories, each one with a special twist. They are all very different, and each of them contains the yeast for them to become a longer story.

It’s difficult to say which was my favorite: I loved Bridge Gate, The Unsuspecting Gold Digger, Travelling Slacks, and Sticky Fingers, the one that gives the title to the book. Lawrence creates very vivid characters and incredible situations, and it’s so easy to relate to the characters that it is sometimes a bit scary, because some of these stories show the darkest parts of the human heart.

Many of these stories had an ‘OMG moment’ that had me mulling for a while, and this is surprising about short stories since I find it hard for them to move me in general.

Bianca Flanders did justice to the material, delivering a gripping narration with great character interpretations and voice inflections just at the right moments.

This is a must read for J.T. Lawrence fans. She writes so well and is so creative that I want to be her!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Outstanding crazy stories!

The reader is so good, giving us great interpretation of the storues. The stories are unusual and short, but with plenty of depth! I enjoyed these weird stories because they are so good!!

A voice for the end of the world

If ever they need someone to announce the onset of the Apocalypse, they need look no further than Bianca Flanders. She has the kind of crystal clear, calm, impassive voice best suited for warning you of impending horrors whilst simultaneously reminding you of the importance of good manners. It's exactly the right voice for this collection, too: stories for the most part about something awful in the post, whilst the cast of characters react too late or fail to notice (pretend not to notice?) the terrible things going on. All the stories are different - they aren't all ghost stories or horror stories, but there is a definite creepiness to most of them. Loved this collection and have just downloaded the next volume.

Good mix

Enjoyable short stories and love the fact that they just state ‘the end’ and then moves on rather than stopping and making you load the next one as I find that problematic when driving. Quite a few stories have stuck in my mind. Recommended

12 great stories

Usually, a collection of short stories contains some good, some okay and others those you would hope to bypass. This collection has 12 great stories, all very listenable.
The voice of the narrator is excellent, even if I mistakenly set the speed too fast (1.5) and she sounded like a St Trinians film. Once I'd slowed her down everything sounded perfect. I won't divulge the twists and turns and weird endings to many of the stories, but many have you on the edge of your seat.
The banter between hotel visitor and trip advisor and the letters between daughter and father are wonderful and sometimes funny. Other stories are concerning mental health and the twists will have you wondering....
The nurse surprised me, the pigeon had me laughing out loud and Sticky Fingers came to the best conclusion. Just going on to Sticky Fingers 2...

Bite sized!

I don't usually read short stories but I found these stories just the right length for listening to on the bus. The stories are all quite varied but have a twist at the end. Like any collection of stories I enjoyed some more than others.

I wasn't sure about the accent (South African I think) of the narrator at first but as the book went on I began to enjoy it and would listen to more by this narrator.

All in all this was a good listen and would love to read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.