Short Story Review - Merrill's Run

The story in this week's installment of Mystery Weekly Magazine is Merrill's Run by John M. Floyd. Award-winning author of hundreds of published short stories, John obviously has talent creating an exciting story - told almost entirely from the truck of a car.

Merrill Ross is on the run from a loan shark and his goons. He has dug himself into serious trouble by way of his gambling habit. Faced with the temptation to steal from his wife to pay his crippling debts, Merrill decides to flee instead. He escapes the thugs in an airport terminal, without drawing the attention of security. 

Fortunately, he knows his business partner Jake has gone on a business trip, flying out of the same airport. The man is predictable. "And when Jake traveled by air he always parked here in the garage, on the second tier."

Merrill takes refuge in the trunk of Jake's car in the airport parking garage. To say more about this story risks giving away the devastating twist at the end. Every line of Merrill's Run built tension as I wondered how this guy was going to escape the situation he'd created for himself.

If you're in the mood for a good mystery, you can't go wrong picking up a short story by John M. Floyd.

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