Comment from Shirley E Kennedy

Excellent

Drama, intrigue and simmering tension provides quite an interesting chapter.
Fear of the unknown can cause turmoil of emotions and both Charles and Helen have every reason to be wary.
Blessings
Shirley

 Comment Written 26-Apr-2019

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reply by the author on 26-Apr-2019

Thanks, Shirley. I very much appreciate your continued encouragement. All the best, Tony

Comment from giraffmang

Excellent

Hi there,

I have to say that Charles's level of education, for he is well-educated, adds to the depth and colour of this piece no end.

I answered absent-mindedly, - abseindeed,ntmindedly can be a single word here. You don't need the hyphenation.

 Comment Written 17-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 19-Jan-2019

Thanks. As you say, the hyphen isn?t strictly necessary. All the best, Tony.

Comment from rspoet

Exceptional

Hello Tony,
At last, the circles seen to be connecting.
I was wondering when the French letter would reappear.
"She, like all women, seemed to be" might be better to replace 'all' with many or most
for your own safety, if nothing else.
Alain and the dwarf re-enter, and maybe even the lost Lautrec.
This is a good direction to take things and
good to see Bellini arrested, he didn't add much.
I like the reference to Napoleon, the oinker, I used him in a poem I'll post soon.
The real mystery swirls around, Helen and Jeanne.
Well done
Robert

 Comment Written 11-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 12-Jan-2019

Thanks for the sixth star, Robert, to help light my way forward. As always, interesting and supportive comments. I've taken your advice and altered 'all' to 'most'. All the best, Tony

Comment from Pam (respa)

Exceptional

-I am glad you brought back the stamp
image, and some of the detail as the story began.
-I would say that overall, Helen seems to
be getting a bit snippy, and bossy, especially
to Charles, and Charles has lost some of his wit.
-I think Jeanne is putting a divide between them,
and maybe Charles can implement his plan:
"spirit the pernicious old viper
away to England for a while."
-I have to agree with Charles on this, as well
as his comment about why Helen
defends Jeanne so much.
-I always enjoy references to literary
works, so your play on Napoleon was very good.
-The chapter was written well, Tony, but I think
Charles might deserve a break and have a little
investigation of some sort on his own, sans
Helen and Jeanne-just a thought.

 Comment Written 11-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 12-Jan-2019

Very many thanks, Pam, both for your review and for the sixth star. It's interesting that you should have mentioned Charles might be better off investigating alone for a bit. I've been thinking the same thing and am in the midst of trying to engineer it.

reply by Pam (respa) on 12-Jan-2019

You are very welcome and deserving of the stars and comments, Tony. I don't know what that means that we are on the same wave length!

I was surprised I came up with that, as it didn't occur to me until I was re-reading the story and reviewing. I am glad that maybe Charles can be himself for a while. Helen is getting too naggy!

Comment from Mustang Patty

Excellent

Hi, Tony,

You are truly the master of weaving your backstory into the dialogue of your characters. The tale you tell here about the drug bust and how it could affect your characters leaves the reader breathless. Especially when Jeanne shows up at the end of the chapter.

Looking forward to more,

~patty~

 Comment Written 11-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 12-Jan-2019

Thanks very much for your comments, Patty. All the best, Tony

Comment from Teresa Alford

Excellent

Excellent writing, interesting story. It has a good flow, which captures and holds the reader attention. It is easy to see why you have received recognition. Good job!! TA ";-)

 Comment Written 10-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2019

Thanks, Teresa. I appreciate your positive comments. All the best, Tony

Comment from country ranch writer

Excellent

So now they plan to leave since the lady signed herself out let's hope she isn't in any danger. Nice work up for this story and hope they get away safely.

 Comment Written 10-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2019

Thanks, CRW. I'm beginning to get back in the swing of writing again, after a bit of a break. I appreciate your positive comments. All the best, Tony

Comment from LIJ Red

Excellent

The slang and descriptions give the story an air of other times and places, making me recall my first glimpses of Hemingway's prose...and the story moves along.

 Comment Written 10-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2019

Thanks, Red. I'm beginning to get back in the swing of writing again, after a bit of a break. I appreciate your positive comments. All the best, Tony

Comment from Adri7enne

Excellent

Good chapter, Tony. Now that all the characters are on scene, it makes the story more pressing. I've probably missed one or two, but I think I still get the gist of it. I like your easy writing style and you have great command of the language. Well done.

 Comment Written 10-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 10-Jan-2019

Thanks, Adrienne. I'm beginning to get back in the swing of writing again, after a bit of a break. I appreciate your positive comments. I'm hoping that these next few chapters will start to draw the threads together All the best, Tony

Comment from Pearl Edwards

Exceptional

That admittance from Charles made me chuckle-picking up vibrations beyond the wit of man. And another great sentence -Alain and his darling dwarf tumbling about amid the boobs and bottoms of the Red Windmill. The mind boggles."seems like the Christmas break has spurred on your creativity even more Tony. Really enjoyed this informative and amusing chapter.
cheers,
valda

 Comment Written 10-Jan-2019

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reply by the author on 12-Jan-2019

Thanks very much for your comments, Valda, and for the affirmation of the sixth star. Very much appreciated! All the best, Tony