Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
It's always nice to get surprised, when you pick up a story thinking that it's just one more like so many others. The description of Picture Plumber's "Timmy's Sister Linda" made it sound like it was going to fall into the category of just another horny male teen who gets inexplicably lucky.
That's where the surprise came in. Tommy, the 15-year-old protagonist, actually thinks and reacts to situations in a manner in which one might reasonably expect. As for the other two major players, one pretty twisted, the other eerily compliant . . . it's a pretty good testimony that you don't really know what your neighbors are like behind their own home's walls.
The lone complaint would be that the story just sort of stops. There are a variety of directions in which it could have been taken, but instead it was left fairly open ended. This is only the second posted story for Picture Plumber, who may still be growing as a story teller. Whatever the case, the author does show an aptitude for creating strong characters in a psychologically dark setting.
Whatever it's shortcomings, "Timmy's Sister Linda" is certainly worth a read, particularly if you're drawn to scenes of a relative innocent dropped into a highly charged situation.