Three-Day Affair

Written by Michael Kardos

Narrated by Ray Chase

Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan are lifelong friends. Each has gone their separate ways as adults, living their own lives while forging their own careers. They have no reason to believe anything extraordinary will befall them. Until one shocking moment changes everything. #160;#160;Will is a part-time drummer who spends the rest of his time in recording studios. Then one night Jeffrey attempts to rob a convenience store, drags a young woman into Will#8217;s car, and shouts a single word: #8220;Drive!#8221; Shaken and confused, Will obeys. #160;#160;Suddenly these ordinary men find themselves completely out of their element, holding a young girl hostage without the slightest idea of what to do next. They are already guilty of kidnapping and robbery; it is only a matter of time before they find out just what else they#8217;re capable of. For these four people, three days will decide their fate-freedom and prison, innocence and guilt-and life and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Sep 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781611749168

Michael Kardos

Michael Kardos is the Pushcart Prize-winning author of the novel The Three-Day Affair and the story collection One Last Good Time. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he currently lives in Starkville, Mississippi, where he teaches creative writing.

Reviews for Three-Day Affair

[johnluiz-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Michael Kardos first impressed me with his stories in literary magazines. Many of them were gathered in the terrific collection, One Last Good Time, that came out at the end of 2010. For his first novel, he tries his hand at the mystery suspense genre and does a terrific job. All his credentials as a literary writer remain intact because this is a very character-driven story, but one with a plot that’ll keep you find turning pages and avoiding other activities because this one is hard to put down.

The basic premise is that three Princeton grads get together for their own personal reunion weekend. Things go wrong almost immediately, though, because one, who lost a fortune when his Internet company failed, impulsively decides to hold up a convenience store and kidnap the cashier. Before his two friends even realize what’s happened, they are embroiled in the mess. The story is told through the perspective of Will – the least successful of the group who spent years as a drummer in a alternative rock band but then transitioned into working as a sound engineer in a recording studio. His two friends are Jeffrey, the failed Internet businessmen, and Nolan, a politician hoping running for the Senate in Missouri. A fourth friend is a New York lawyer who misses the kidnapping incident, but eventually has to be called in for advice on how get out of the quagmire they’ve created for themselves.

What keeps you turning the pages is the suspense of wanting to know what they’re going to do with the beautiful young girl they’ve kidnapped. They’re not career criminals, but they all know their lives will be ruined – not to mention the possible prison time – if what they did gets out. The story is told in alternating chapters between the present moment of their kidnapping and the past days of their lives together at Princeton, details that serve to flesh out the characters and provide many layers of complexity to the situation they’ve found themselves in.

As the layers of the onion of getting peeled back, there are many unexpected twists and turns. To say any more would be give too much of the riveting plot away. If you’re looking for a suspenseful story with more than paper thin characters, I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy the ride offered here.

[kdunkelberg-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There's so much I don't want to say about this book, since it would give away not just the ending but the surprise at every page turn. You don't keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. You keep wondering, how many shoes can there possibly be? This book puts Imelda Marcos to shame, yet each new revelation is surprising and rewarding in its own way. More than a thriller, yet thrilling, Kardos examines human nature in a tale that is both chilling and hilarious.

[shetreadssoftly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I dare you to start The Three Day Affair by Michael Kardos and not race through to the end. Thankfully I had the time to do just that after starting it. Will, Jeffrey, Nolan, and Evan are old college friends who get together for a weekend reunion of golf with the guys every year. All four are successful in different ways: Jeffery is a dot com millionaire, Nolan is running for Congress, Evan is a lawyer, and Will is a struggling record producer. Both Will and Jeffrey are married and expecting their first child.

As the narrator, Will inspires trust as the story unfolds. The guys are coming to his home for their weekend this year. His wife is leaving town so the friends can have a testosterone filled weekend. Will plans to ask his friends to invest in his plans to open his own independent record label, but this year the reunion starts in an unexpected way for Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan.

Stopping at a convenience store, Jeffrey robs the store and kidnaps the young female clerk. Coming out of the store, jumping into the car he orders Will to "Drive!" and a confused Will does, without questioning why. Suddenly the three friends are in an impossible situation and are trying to find a way out of their dilemma. I don't want to say much more than that.

Kardos is an excellent writer. The characters are well developed and realistic. I thought I knew everything that was happening but I'll have to admit to a few surprises. The present day chapters are juxtaposed with chapters about earlier interactions between the characters, especially when they were in college. This was a well written, easy to read, and extremely enjoyable mystery. The ending actually surprised me. Highly Recommended


Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Mysterious Press and Netgalley for review purposes.

[randall6hansen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A strange story about an annual get together of old college buddies that takes a serious wrong turn... and a story that goes on for far too long before finally revealing a twist or two. Found myself skimming parts of the back stories that appeared in odd places throughout the novel. It drags at times -- and the premise is kind of preposterous -- but if you have invested the time, do wait for the end. The final chapter offers some redemption.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Three Day Affair is the debut novel of author Michael Kardos. It's also the first novel bearing the imprint of the newly re-launched Mysterious Press.We meet Will - the narrator of the tale in the first chapter. And the hook is set deep with the last paragraph of that first chapter..."Three years had passed since our move to Newfield, and we felt ready for this child in our lives, By then, violent crime was about the furthest thing from my mind, until the night when I helped one of my best friends kidnap a young woman."Four college friends reconnect every year for a weekend to play some golf and catch up. This year they're meeting in Will's town. They stop at a convenience store for Jeffrey to run in and grab a few things. Well, he does grab something - but it's the teenage clerk. When he thrusts her into the car and yells 'Drive' - Will does. He believes the girl has been hurt and is heading for the hospital. But she's not - Jeffrey has just....taken her. And now they're all involved.And as they argue over what to do, the clock keeps ticking.....until it's too late to just open the door and tell her to get out.Over the next three days, we are privy to long held resentments, simmering tensions, outright violence and desperation as they frantically try to figure out a way to extricate themselves from an unbelievable situation. Kardos paints intimate pictures of the players, flashing back and forth in alternate chapters from their college days to the present. We get to know them well - or do we really? Do they really know each other as well as they think? The pacing is quite quick in The Three Day Affair. It isn't a long book - it had the feel of an extended short story for me. But in a good way. I was just waiting for a twist - I knew there had to be one. And, yes there was - and it was a good one - or two!A very clever debut. I'd pick up another by this author.