Crime Artist

By Rodney Johnson

With all due respect, many doctors like to get on Youtube, TED, and Facebook, and boast their opinion on mental illness Psychosis, Bi-Polar Manic Depression EXC. Well, here's a raw, candid glimpse into the patient's mind under a Psychotic break due to the Covid shutdown.

Visit my Website: livewriter.weebly.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authors' Tranquility Press
• Release date: Jan 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781959930280

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 by Rodney Johnson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, re-cording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Rodney Johnson/Author’s Tranquility Press

3800 CAMP CREEK PKWY SW BLDG 1400-116 #1255

Atlanta, GA 30331

www.authorstranquilitypress.com

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Special Sales Department at the address above.

Crime Artist/Rodney Johnson

Hardback: 978-1-959930-26-6

Paperback: 978-1-959930-27-3

eBook: 978-1-959930-28-0

Online Book Review

by Brenda Creech

Crime Artist by Rodney Johnson is a collection of eleven fictional short stories relating to love, fame, guilt, and money. These thought-provoking stories show how the choices we make in life not only affect us physically and financially but psychologically as well.

The author has a unique and creative writing style. Each story is thought-provoking and left me wondering, at times, if I had read it correctly. I have to admit I read all of the stories more than once to give my mind time to absorb the content. I enjoyed Rodney's creative style of writing, and there is plenty of action to keep the reader enthralled. The characters are well-developed and unique. I enjoyed each of the stories in the book; however, my favorites are Vanity Mirror and Opsiquinta.

What I liked most about this book was the author's creativity in each story and how he leaves the reader contemplating the purpose of the story. What I disliked most was the cover of the book. I couldn't see a correlation between the cover and the contents. The author has published a second book called Promise You Will Love Me Forever. There is a short excerpt included in this book.

Contents

CHICKEN IN A BAG

FAST CAR--FAST CAR

CRIME ARTIST

VANITY MIRROR

‘OPSIQUINTA’

AT THE MOVIES

THE ACCIDENT

MIND, BODY, AND SOUL:

STREET BRAWL

HERE IS ONE FOR THE HUSTLERS

AMERICAN MONEY

THE PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE

CHICKEN IN A BAG

He had just gotten out of a hard day's work. June was tired of all the complaining, rude customers, crying children in the meat Shop, everything. He had a few dollars left and was hungry. He couldn’t wait to punch out.

I only had half hour left that afternoon. So before catching the next city bus home, I’ll have to grab a bite to eat. A London broil would be good or roasted chicken, he thought to himself, licking his lips, fantasizing the taste in his mouth.

He hadn’t eaten in almost a full day and a half. Thinking of dinner, what would go well with beef or chicken? Corn is my favorite. I hadn’t had rice in a while. Imagine a plate of steak and cheese with a side order of rice.

Looking over the sale items for that week, he decided to get corn and chicken. After purchasing the dinner, June went outside to wait for the city bus. It didn’t come till a half hour.

God, I’m so hungry!! I can’t wait to get home so I can eat. Besides, these bags are heavy as hell.

Coincidently, someone pulled the stop request on the bus. June got off the bus, gripping his bags, then proceeded to walk up that long hill he always does. It’s better than the 16-mile walk if he didn’t take the bus. With these heavy bags in his hands, June would never have made it home in time.

Needless to say, while almost up the hill, June lost grip of one of his bags. The one with chicken and corn. He heard the thick jar shatter. Shucks! June shouted to himself. Knowing his chicken was at risk of being filled with glass, then he’ll have to throw it away.

June finished walking up his first flight of stairs. After stepping into his apartment, June released the bags from his hands. He placed the chicken and corn bag on his kitchen countertop. It doesn’t look that bad, he thought. I’ll just pick out the broken pieces of glass. One by one, he did actually that. Then proceeded to eat.

Hmm, taste okay, then he grabbed more. Ravishly, throwing it into his mouth. Quickly, June jumped after feeling a sharp sting on the tip of his tongue. He knew what was going on in his mouth. Could he spit it out? No. It was already too late.

See, the piece of chicken was already logged in his throat. Glass crushed up in the middle of thick chicken meat. June swallowed broken glass, carefully cutting his insides.

FAST CAR-----FAST CAR

What did I tell you about mocking people, Keith? The woman screamed at her six-year-old child, jerking his hand in the long Burger King line. It was a huge fellow with cowboy boots, leather jacket, blue jeans, and a dismembered face that almost looked like a signed piece of plastic.

The closer the man got to the woman, the more afraid the boy became, almost running in place, Mommy, Mommy. He cries. The people in the dining room watched.

Enough!! The woman shouts, dragging her young child into the restroom.

She sat Keith on the sink, attempting to explain. The two could hear the old man’s footsteps stepping into the hall. He looked at them with a serious stare in his eye, and then he began to tell how it all happened.

No! You are in no condition to race,