Scorpions
Frankie is stuck in a dead-end caregiving job until her elderly patient passes away, leaving her with a massive secret: life-changing money buried out in Death Valley. All she has to do is follow his exact instructions to get everything she's ever wanted. It sounds like the perfect answer to her problems, but the reality of the hunt is entirely different from what she bargained for.
- Frankie - Caretaker for Ruben
- Ruben - An elderly man
- Jocelyn - Ruben’s ex-wife, Jocelyn's step-mother
- Shane - Ruben’s son
- Ruben dies, and Frankie finds a note from him saying he once robbed an armored truck, has money hidden, and includes a map to an abandoned mineshaft in Death Valley.
- When Frankie realizes that Shane has a key she needs to get the money they decide to work together and split the money.
- Jocelyn follows them, so they have no choice but to let her join.
- As they are about to descend into the mineshaft, Jocelyn pulls a gun on Shane. They struggle, and Jocelyn is shot in the neck and dies.
- They find the money and start hauling it up in batches.
- Frankie stuffs some money into her clothes in case Shane tries to steal it all.
- Frankie sees a text on Jocelyn’s phone that she and Shane were planning to leave Frankie in the hole to die once all the money was recovered.
- Shane falls into the hole when the wench breaks on his ascent and he can’t move his legs.
- The money is locked in the jeep, Shane has the keys and the glass is bulletproof.
- Frankie tries to walk out of the desert until she finally collapses.
Scorpions by Rachel Howzell Hall starts with an interesting premise that quickly draws you in. For a novella, it delivers good character development, which is a nice surprise given the limited page count.
However, the story does get a bit messy as it goes. There are several confusing spots, and the author includes a lot of extra details that do not really serve the main plot. To top it off, the ending just is not very satisfying, leaving the whole thing feeling a bit unresolved. The idea was strong but the execution didn't work for me.
- Drug use
- Death of an elderly patient
- Accidental death
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
ASIN: B0CHCYLXXL
Publication Date: March 19, 2024
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
