The Man With The Green Suitcase by Dee Doanes

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What is in that suitcase? Why will he risk everything to keep it safe?

Curiosity killed the cat, now read on to find out why.

The bum had not only been dumpster diving in the alley, he was also taking a dump. While he was squat down, he found a diamond wedding ring, a cell phone and some cold, hard cash. He had picked it up and put it in his battered green suitcase, but when he spotted the cops he quickly pulled it out, dropped it and ran to the Open Door Community House. He went inside and immediately headed to the corner. He wanted only to be left alone, to be invisible. Eddie came over to sit with him. If he had a friend, it would be Eddie.

The Z Brothers came in complaining about someone stealing their stash. They had broken into a house, killed someone and hid the stuff. It was the stuff the old man found.

Lee saw he was nervous, but when she touched him, his skin looked like it was bubbling and worms were crawling underneath it. He told her it would be okay, to go ahead and touch his face. Then she would find out what she needed to know. Afterwards a peacefulness she hadn’t felt in a long time, washed over her.

Gerald drove around, picking up the rent checks from the lessees. Life had been good to him. Then he runs into the old woman. She accuses him of being the cause of her husband’s death and tells him, he’ll get his and soon. When Tony, his new partner. says the same thing, almost word for word he can’t help but notice.

The nightmare woke him up. He knew he never should have done the deal with Tony. It was blood money. It had felt wrong when they made the deal and he should have paid attention to his gut talking to him.

Gerald drove by the Open Door and felt compelled to turn around and go back. He had no idea why. Before he knew what he was doing, not only did he donate money, he volunteered to work there.

For some reason, listening to Lee describe the house and the residents, Gerald finds himself actually enjoying listening to her. Then he spots the man with the green suitcase. Lee notices the man with the suitcase looking intently at Gerald and is surprised, because he usually tries very hard not to be noticed.

Valerie’s life wasn’t going the way she had planned. When she came to town, she had dreams, but they were short-lived. Now she was a hooker and she hated it. She had had it with her night job and decided to drive around and look for hiring signs. She stopped when she came to the Open Door and, on impulse,  went in to volunteer. She met Gerald, as Lee shows her around.

Gerald ran into the man with the green suitcase and chased him down. He just wanted to  talk to him. They both touched the bush at the same time and he had a vision. The old man ran off before Gerald could ask him what it meant.

Back in the Open Door, Gerald ran into Valeria again and asked her out. Over time, they began to feel they may have a future together. They both had the same thoughts running through their heads. They needed to fess up and disclose their secrets or it could ruin the relationship they had been building.

Tony served Gerald with a $15,000,000 lawsuit. He thought there was no way Tony could use the dirt he had on Gerald because he was so dirty himself, but if he did, Valerie would learn his secret. What would she do then?

Gerald was determined to question the man with the green suitcase. He finds out that he has no memory of anything. He doesn’t know who he is or how he came to be here. Gerald thinks he and the man have some kind of connection, because he is now having visions even if he isn’t near him. The old man is concerned about Gerald. He decides to leave town and buys a bus ticket with the last of his money. He promptly loses it.

Will Lee’s vision come true? Will Gerald and Valerie be able to get past their secrets?  What will happen when they do fess up? And what about the man with the green suitcase? Who is he? What’s in the suitcase?

    4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

The cover is eerie and has a sense of mystery about it. The title is self-explanatory.

You may find yourself losing track of time because the book is well written, easy to read and you will want to know – what is in the suitcase.

This story is about people and their daily lives. It tells about the trials and tribulations of them just trying to get through life with a little bit of peace and happiness. They learn they  can’t run from the past, but they can change the future. That by giving, they receive so much more than they gave.

It’s funny how it can be such a small world. How people’s lives can be connected, without them even being aware of it.

Some of the characters start out being pretty bad. Selfish, self-centered, corrupt, petty, pretty much everything you don’t want to be. The others just appear to be lost. By making one decision, their lives become so much worse than they had ever anticipated. They redeem themselves as they ride the roller coaster of life and end up helping each other become a better person.

Does it prove the rule, what goes around comes around? Do unto others?

Maybe all those sayings are true. Things happen for a reason. Are we just here and our lives already planned, we just act it out? Is the play written and we are the cast, acting our parts until the story is told?  Are somethings meant to stay a mystery?

As I read the story, so many clichés ran through my head, I knew I had to use them. I wanted you to get the same feeling I did as I read the book.

The ending had me laughing, even though it was pretty dark and drear. It was a fit ending and lives up to the cliché: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Dee Doanes is the author of The Man With the Green Suitcase, her first fiction novel.

She has previously published short stories and poetry. She has a deep passion for writing and has been writing since the age of five.

Doanes has a background in copywriting, communications, and social media.

She’s active in several charities and conducts a youth poetry workshop for the Atlanta Writers Club Youth Writing Camp, and is the former co-chair of the Writing in the Schools Program for Georgia Writers.

Doanes lives in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoys spending time with her daughter and parents. Doanes’ mother encouraged her to read and to be creative while growing up. In her spare time she enjoys attending writing events and workshops, fitness training, collecting art, world travel, and gourmet cooking.

Future plans:  I plan on getting The Man With the Green Suitcase made into a TV series or movie. Also, I will be releasing a book of poetry and doing poetry readings. I am working on a fiction book that deals with how people are connected to each other in the most remarkable ways. I will touch upon reincarnation a little bit and the setting spans across several countries. The title is not set yet. More details as I get closer to the release date.

To find out what Dee is doing, follow these links:

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

 Facebook 

Amazon Author Page 

To buy your copy of the book, simply click on the cover.

GIVEAWAY

Dee Doanes  is offering  for the Giveaway, 2 ebooks (mobi or PDF). 

Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

What do you think is in the suitcase? 

Giveaway will run from 1/24 – 2/7/2013.

CLOSED. WINNERS are Laura T. and Andrea W. Hunt.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

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