Red

“If one is forced into a hell, one shall act as a devil.”

Welcome to Riverstones City. A sprawling squalor. A grim tangle rife with violence, drug trafficking, larceny, prostitution, corruption. The rich reside in apathy above the poor. The police and the politicians make their fortunes by gazing the other way.

The most notorious district of this city is Forest Heights. Home to the hopeless. The neglected. The crazy. The divine and the demonic. But mostly the demonic… Twisted souls, making parasitical livings through theft, fear and threat. Here, crime is rife. Crime is customary. Crime is consuming. Here, crime is life.

A streetwise, book-smart 12-year-old girl they call Red is quietly traversing the urban guts of this city in a scorching summer evening. Nerves are high. Tensions simmering. And when a beastly, brutal rival of her incarcerated father hunts her down, Red must act fast to survive the night.

Red is an innovative neo-noir short sculpted from powerful storytelling loaded with smart twists and cutting-edge use of language bursting with audacious imagery. Red also features the return of ‘Stones-Speak’, the radical style of dialogue British writer Khalid Patel first showcased in his debut novel, Hollow Shotguns.

A sharp, dark echo of a legendary yarn, Red is an utterly unique, intoxicating thrill ride… with possibly one of the coolest female characters ever committed to ink.

“S’matter? …… You a-scared?”

Red on Amazon (available in both digital & a special edition paper chapbook)

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Dr Craine’s Body

Hollow Shotguns

30 thoughts on “Red”

Santiago Robillard on August 28, 2014 at 9:36 am said:

Yes! Finally someone writes about real shit.

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Lorlene Tate on June 16, 2014 at 3:28 pm said:

Hey! Someone in my writer’s group shared this story with us so I checked it out. I’m definitely loving it. I will be tweeting this page to my followers! Excellent site too, superb design and style.

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- Khalid Patel on June 19, 2014 at 12:12 pm said:
  
  Thanks!
  
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Lien Banuelos on June 12, 2014 at 2:52 pm said:

The style and design of the cover looks great!

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Hared Handley on June 11, 2014 at 9:47 am said:

Your work is astounding.

Thanks a million and please keep it up.

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- Khalid Patel on June 19, 2014 at 12:12 pm said:
  
  Thanks, I will try to!
  
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Rob Holtermann on June 8, 2014 at 12:06 am said:

This is a very interesting story. You’re a very skilled writer. I’ve joined your site and look forward to seeing more of your books. Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!

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Delila Manns on May 3, 2014 at 4:00 am said:

Have you ever considered guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based upon the same ideas you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would value your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to get in touch with me.

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Marian Jefferis on April 23, 2014 at 1:04 pm said:

Your style is really unique compared to others I’ve read stuff from.

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Brandie Drescher on April 20, 2014 at 3:37 pm said:

I want to to thank you for this very good read!! I absolutely loved every little bit of it. I’ve got you saved as a favorite to look at new stuff you write.

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Alishale Wandowski on April 20, 2014 at 11:06 am said:

I love your writing so much! Having a look forward to your novel!

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Linda Moncrieff on April 19, 2014 at 8:12 pm said:

I loved this. The sketch is beautiful, and your writing stylish. The brilliant ending brought a shakiness over me.

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- Khalid Patel on June 19, 2014 at 12:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks, good to know the ending resonated with you!
  
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Ivan Waldman on April 14, 2014 at 10:34 pm said:

You’ve done an impressive job with this story!

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Brock Wortham on April 14, 2014 at 9:26 am said:

Red > All Other Short Stories
Loved it!

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Albertina Goshorn on April 13, 2014 at 8:58 am said:

The style and design look great!

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Sherrill Lola on April 13, 2014 at 8:54 am said:

Fantastic read!

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W. Hellye on February 15, 2014 at 10:58 pm said:

I stumbled upon this site while searching for good reads and am fortunate for doing so. This is a extremely cool thing y’all got going here. Would you approve if I shared this site on my facebook with the url and header of the page? Thanks!

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- Severest Inks on February 16, 2014 at 2:07 pm said:
  
  Of course we’d approve! :)
  
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Carlos on February 13, 2014 at 1:35 pm said:

Congratulations for this beautiful story.

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Marsha Meeks on January 11, 2014 at 9:03 am said:

It is the little changes that produce the greatest changes.
Thanks a lot for sharing this story!

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- Khalid Patel on January 30, 2014 at 9:46 am said:
  
  Thank YOU for giving it a chance…
  
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Rebekah Batalla on December 6, 2013 at 8:54 am said:

Hi! I’ve been reading your work for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Porter Tx! Just wanted to say keep up the fantastic job!

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- Khalid Patel on January 30, 2014 at 9:45 am said:
  
  Thanks muchly, Rebekah! I will do.
  
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Khalid Patel on August 26, 2013 at 6:50 am said:

Thanks for the kind words!

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HH on August 26, 2013 at 1:42 am said:

Read this yesterday evening and was haunted by imagery. The prose depicted a landscape so vivid, the reader could feel as if they were walking alongside Red through the streets of this city. The city is a melting pot of evils and vice, and sirens and corrupt propaganda destroying the rest of civilization; Khalid Patel puts together a great setting with lasting story.

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