Eddie, a small-time thief, discovers the hard way that stealing a device that can tell future probabilities is only the start of his problems. He needs help or someone to take the fall and in Oscar, a big-time criminal, the device suggests he’s found it.

A short crime drama story with shades of sci-fi, I read this quickly, curious about where it was going as the catalog of disasters unfolded. Then I got to the end and laughed. I handed it to a friend who read in silence for a few minutes and burst out laughing. This isn’t just sci-fi, it has shades of farce. Starting dramatically enough, it quickly comes out that Eddie has got everything wrong at every stage, and Oscar’s pithy comments during his pitiful retelling are very much what this reader was thinking. Given the huge dramatic build, the ending is outright funny.

A good, relaxing story, although it’s very short – a ten minute read for most. It is a coffee-break read but, if it is free, get it because it is a fun one.

It’s a 3/4, and one of those books that make me hate giving ratings.