All Comments on 'The Marker'

Why this was sent to this category. I posted it as an LW consequences story per the introduction.

I'll.try to get this rectified.

Todd172

Yes, I am biased but it really follows the "formula" and has gripping characters. Good job buddy!

There's such an amazing flow to your work, absolutely love all of it. Feels like anything I could ever come up with pales in comparison. Keep it up!

I know better than to think that Todd172 can consistently produce such great stories without immense effort. Even when I don't enjoy the tale at hand as much as, say, "The Shack", the story is still well beyond most of what's on Literotica. As expected, "The Marker" is a five-star product! Thanks for sharing with us.

Man, how do you consistently turn out such riveting stuff? Bravo.

Love this pulp story. Can't wait to read the rest of Belles story. Hurry please!

waiting for the spark to open the flood gates, TK U MLJ LV NV

Good story. Imaginative and well written.

jtaylor

Todd,

Great, great tale. I'm a tough guy to get a four from, but this is a five.

This story touched me deeply. I've issues of my own and wonder if I'd gone down a different part if things would have been different. I don't think so. I think I'd still be doing what I do, just with a different language.

Great tale. Well worth the read.

Thanks for sharing a great story. *****

From a superbly talented author! Thanks, Todd, for your continued sharing of wonderful stories here. Let your imagination run riot! ;-)

One little quibble -- that I see from nearly every author on Lit -- discrete vs discreet. Spell check will never catch this....

Thanks for sharing on Lit.

x

Thank you for another outstanding story.

Obviously I have not succeeded in moving this to LW or even NE so far, and it'll probably be essentially moot, since it will "age off" the front page shortly.

Still, thank you, the feedback helps me figure out what I'm doing right - and wrong, and I take all of it seriously.

And again thank you for the encouragement and support. I started doing this a little over a year ago as something of a lark; reader requests gave it a life of its own.

Thanks again,

Todd172

Good stuff! Keep on writing please.

Thanks for this one!

Well done...as usual. Gotta love the interwoven lives and storylines.

Keep 'em coming...please.

You do this as a lark and write top tier stories. I suspect (and hope) that your alter ego writes for the mainstream. If not, possibly means more for us here at the shack. Thanks. JPR

When every one else stops writing - you keep going. Don't stop!

Chester Himes would have approved of this. I thoroughly enjoyed that series of novels.

This one is another great read, and I really enjoyed it. Thank you for writing it, and thank you for sharing it.

Off the front page or not, the cream will rise to the top and eventually be tasted. As per your usual, a simply terrific story: nuanced, complicated interwoven threads. A great read. Thanks!

Another great story from you. Please keep writing. Loved them all.

I actually thought this was a great leadin to The Shack. From here on “Just get the job done”.

Street Smart will keep you alive and ahead of any game coming down, TK U MLJ LV NV

Just ignore that tazz317 guy below. He's quite the idiot with his comments on stories.

The author truly has a gift for storytelling. Notice I said storytelling and not writing. Writing simply transfers information from one medium to another. Storytelling engages the imagination and emotions. It takes the reader on a journey and requires imagination and creativity. His writing has these qualities and more. But most importantly when I read his stories I care about the characters. They become real in my mind. In my estimation this is the most important quality of all. 5*

Short story or not- it is great and reading the other stories the background established was well worth the time - THANKS!

I've read stories I initially passed on or decided to read because he commented.

ltpw

I like this story as the first story in Tales from the Shack. It starts the user off understanding "Just get the job done". It also lets the user know that things are likely to be a little outside a staid view of how things get done.

Love the way the Marker gets laid down and played. Keep writing.

Your stories are intriguing. PLEASE make The Shack into a novel. It will become a classic and I would love to buy it.

At a loss for words!

That is why I'm such a ... challenged Game Master (DM if you are old school), just can't stop thinking about why s/he is that way, what happened and how did they get there.

Love that you are willing to write them and post them.

I really like the way this author writes.

Damn good story, I should probably stop wishing I could write like this, it'll never happen - that bus left a long time ago.

Terrific story!

A bit thin but a good read.

I read and reread your stories. They are so good, please write more.

It is a joy to see the characters and pieces come together. The Shack and associated characters are my favorite "reread" stories. Redemption seems to be an underlying theme, with former "shipmates" and family, biological and social, thrown in. Keep pointing out the connections so simple readers like me and follow the bread crumbs.

Reminds me of an old Mickey Spillane novel. Was great.

Just delicious

Whoa mannnn...yepp.

Good one.

Thanks for sharing.

I found that anonymous on 05/08/20 said what I was thinking better than I could say it;

"It is a joy to see the characters and pieces come together. The Shack and associated characters are my favorite "reread" stories. Redemption seems to be an underlying theme, with former "shipmates" and family, biological and social, thrown in. Keep pointing out the connections so simple readers like me and follow the bread crumbs".

5* isn't enough but, will have to suffice.

Todd172 really writes interesting and well-prepared stories, and this was a 5*. Strange and unfortunate that this story has had so few comments and, I guess readers. Maybe Todd172 should have thrown in a few more words about the mother/wife and published in LW?

As I was reading this story, I felt like I could see every character -in black and white-

I kept waiting for a commercial to interrupt the story. Thank you for another real good story.

I loved the story. It reminds me of some of the gritty 50 cent detective books from the 60s and 70s. The character development only lets us see what we need to know for the story line. I also love the shack stories. Please keep them coming.

Another great character building story. Well done, as always.

Excellent update and fill-in on Markham. Again, top shelf and living the intrigue.

BRW, if you had/should decide to touch base (no pun)

slee4(1975@gmail.com

When are you going to do her full story? I’ve been waiting patiently.

A succinct homage to the pulp story. En excellent read.

I love Todd's writing so I can read it for free. I was a school teacher in Ohio for 35 years. Our damn Republican government froze any increase in our pensions as soon as they got into office and they cut the amount of money School Boards have to pay to increase our pensions. I try to live within my 40,000 a year pension. Just my luck my wife died of cancer at the age of 42. A couple of years later I met a woman who is a multi-millionaire and sits on Bank Boards of Directors. For some strange reason she fell in love with me. I asked her what initially attracted her to me. She said it was the massive intelligence I displayed when I met with the board to ask them to fund my mortgage buy out. My mortgage was at 9%. Really, who can understand a woman? Am I a kept man? I sure try not to be. I try to buy all of our food and extras. I've had some extraordinary medical expenses in the last few years. I manage to pay her back $100 a month. I only have 23 months to go and she'll be paid off completely. I figure I can make it. I'm only 81.

Doc Spirit 3

"Maybe sometime later I'll tell her full story." Anytime now would be good. I just finished 'Needles and Delany.' OMG, to coin a phrase.

Another excellent story by Todd and his wife, they do so very well together.

To the anon that wrote an interesting review, sorry about your loss of your wife at 42 I lost mine over 2 years ago at 76.

Don't blame the republicans for cuts to school budgets. School teachers she be private anyway and paid what they are really worth. The system now pays all teachers the same no matter how good or bad they are, that ain't right. A good teacher is as skilled as any trades journeyman and should be paid accordingly. There has to be a better way than working for the state.

No, I didn't like it. I loved it!

You and your wife are national treasures! Your stories reveal deep characters so effortlessly we think we discovered them ourselves. I'm really impressed with your command of genre. I for one (of legions) would love a novel about Belle Markham! PLEASE!

Another great but short story. Nice little touch the Marker. 5⛤

Probablh time to go back and read some of the detective stories from the 30's. An awesome tale.

You Sir are a HELLOVA great writer!

I had read this before, another good one and a little sidetrack to the shack series so for now I'm heading back to The Shack. Thanks to the editors also.

Just stunning! 5*! Can hardly wait to read more.

Even a side character has a tremendous back story and has an impact on the future of others in the Shack stories. So well told

Another decent story.

Short, Sharp, Sweet

5 outta 5

Loved it. Thanks. Now I have to go find the other story with Belle.

5 Stars on this One . My best friend could make his 380 sing . Fast and Very Very Accurate . I might have been almost as fast as Larry But that Man was so accurate it was Great fun to watch him shoot .

Second time and just as good, our author truly a word smith and of course kudos to his editors. Keep gong Todd any more books on Amazon besides Needles and delaney?

I hate to admit it but I am a hog for the output of this author. Hell, I sure hope he and "The Missus" goes public and viral. They are so darned good, even in re-reading it is a great collection, especially "The Shack" Tales. Great writing does not need the deep end of "dirty sex," just as a truly beautiful woman does not need lots of make up. Thank you Todd, Missus and the editors.

AWESOME!!!!

5 good story great ending like most everything author writes

Reread. Always good. Please keep them coming.

Justice, damn good.

Impecable even to the background. Great picture writing and lots of I sights to the Charakters.

Big thumbs from me.

Different but of the highest quality 5*

Wow. As usual, more please. Thank you. 5*, as usual. Starting to suffer from withdrawal. Need more Delaney, or Emma, Evelyn, Spooky ...... or the Colonel or Tina or Pogo or Needles or............ and yes I bought the book, even though I already read the stories.

Todd, I've got no idea if you're still active on Literotica, or writing in general. But I'm really, really digging all these "noir" stories you've written. They're all gritty, grimy, totally out there and over the top but somehow believable. String all these linked stories together and you'd have the basis for a very interesting season of 15-20odd tv shows on one of the streaming sites. I'll just keep going down the list of "The Shack" linked stories till I've read them all :)

I liked the irony of it all, too much pain made it a tough swallow. Still the characters are riveting and the narration is film nor. Darker than Damon Runyun.

Gritty

I liked it, and I enjoyed seeing her backstory In the Dog Ron. Four well deserved stars, pushing five.

JPB

I've read it at least a half dozen times. Pick up more detail every time - just seems to get better. Love your writing.