As someone who grew up fly-fishing, this was a fun read and incredibly quick to go through. Some of the stories didn’t fully grab me and were a bit darker than I expected

I would rate this book 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

This is not what I would consider your typical fly-fishing book were the act of fly-fishing is the main focus or subject. It almost seems it is secondary in these 6 short stories. In my opinion two of six where pretty good stories but even with that the ending of the story based on a fly shop had an ending that fell short. I did enjoy the story of the court battle between the two authors. As pointed out by other reviews there are some dark turns it some stories but noting i would consider to drastic. Pick this up and give it a read and see what you think.

I'm normally a sucker for a good fishing book. The subject is one of my go-to favorites. However, in this case, I was left a bit disappointed. The stories are okay, they just lacked the power to grab me and make me want more. It just felt a bit disjointed and disordered. It's a shame, because I am aware of the author, and know that he is a very good writer. His other books are much, much better. Maybe this one is a outlier, and in his next book he will be back in the groove.

I've meant to read Steven Raymond for some time and this one was probably the wrong entry point. I had a hard time getting into these stories. They're mostly fine as light works to pass the time with, but they never really resonant. Raymond's a little flip at times and there's a touch of darkness to these stories. The novella that makes up most of the book doesn't warrant the space -- it's a bad legal drama with a bit of silliness and some mean-spiritedness thrown in.

The other stories fare better, largely because they function more like short stories. Fans of Raymond might want to know what he's up to now, but I'd rather have gone with some of his more lauded nonfiction. As a diversion for fans of fishing-based fiction, these stories do the job, but that's all.