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A SIMPLE PLAN

by Scott Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 7, 1993

Think of a backwater James M. Cain, or a contemporary midwestern Unforgiven—and don't think about getting any sleep...

A fairy-tale windfall blasts the lives of two brothers, determined to do whatever it takes to hold onto the money, in Scott's electrifying first novel.

On their way to visit their parents' graves in rural Ohio, Hank Mitchell and his brother Jacob, together with Jacob's no-account pal Lou, find a downed plane, a dead pilot, and four million dollars. After briefly considering turning the money over to the authorities, they decide to let Hank keep it for six months to see whether anybody comes looking for it—believing in their innocence that if nobody does, they'll be safe in spending it. But the very next day, when Hank and Jacob are back at the plane to make sure they haven't left any traces of their presence, they're forced to kill a witness to their discovery. When Lou finds out and begins to blackmail Hank for advances on his share of the loot, Hank's surprisingly resourceful wife Sarah comes up with a scheme to shut his mouth—a scheme that ends, inevitably, in more violence, as Hank keeps killing to protect his family's stake in the American dream, the secrets of his earlier murders, and his sense of himself as normal ``despite everything I've done that might make it seem otherwise.'' By the time the horrific plot has wound down, nine people have died, with more deaths (the Mitchell parents, seven victims in a Detroit kidnapping) hanging heavily over the story. Yet Smith infuses each new twist of violence with shocks of unexpected pity, as Hank, devastated by the killing, keeps drifting back to the rationale he and Sarah share: He had to do it, it wasn't his fault. An eerily flat confessional whose horror is only deepened by its flashes of tenderness.

Pub Date: Sept. 7, 1993

ISBN: 0-679-41985-3

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1993

THRILLER | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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by Scott Smith

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

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BOOK TO SCREEN

THEN SHE WAS GONE

by Lisa Jewell ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2018

Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.

Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past.

Laurel Mack’s life stopped in many ways the day her 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, left the house to study at the library and never returned. She drifted away from her other two children, Hanna and Jake, and eventually she and her husband, Paul, divorced. Ten years later, Ellie’s remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. After Ellie’s funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with Floyd, a man she meets in a cafe. She's disarmed by Floyd’s charm, but when she meets his young daughter, Poppy, Laurel is startled by her resemblance to Ellie. As the novel progresses, Laurel becomes increasingly determined to learn what happened to Ellie, especially after discovering an odd connection between Poppy’s mother and her daughter even as her relationship with Floyd is becoming more serious. Jewell’s ( I Found You , 2017, etc.) latest thriller moves at a brisk pace even as she plays with narrative structure: The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of Ellie’s disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as Laurel and Floyd meet. Both of these sections primarily focus on Laurel. In the third section, Jewell alternates narrators and moments in time: The narrator switches to alternating first-person points of view (told by Poppy’s mother and Floyd) interspersed with third-person narration of Ellie’s experiences and Laurel’s discoveries in the present. All of these devices serve to build palpable tension, but the structure also contributes to how deeply disturbing the story becomes. At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot.

Pub Date: April 24, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-5464-5

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018

GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SUSPENSE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | SUSPENSE

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by Lisa Jewell

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, a simple plan.

• About the Book

It All Seemed So Simple...

Two brothers and their friend stumble upon the wreckage of a plane—the pilot is dead and his duffle bag contains four million dollars in cash. The men agree to hide, keep and share the fortune. But what started off as a simple plan slowly devolves into a gruesome nightmare none of them can control.

A Simple Plan by Scott Smith

• Publication Date: July 5, 2012
• Genres: Thriller
• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Vintage
• ISBN-10: 0307278271
• ISBN-13: 9780307278272

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Simple Plan (Smith)

A Simple Plan Scott Smith, 1993 Knopf Doubleday 416 pp. ISBN-13: 9780307278272

Summary When two brothers and a friend find four million dollars in the cockpit of a downed plane buried in the snow, their plan seems so simple.

But from the moment it is set into motion, Hank Mitchell's well-ordered life spins out of control, sending him on a downward spiral of deceit, treachery, and blackmail. ( From the publisher .)

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A Simple Plan

Scott smith. knopf publishing group, $21 (0pp) isbn 978-0-679-41985-3.

Reviewed on: 08/02/1993

Genre: Fiction

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, black writers week, “a simple plan” isn’t your typical sam raimi movie, and that’s why it’s his best.

Whenever a new Spider-Man movie is released, it is inevitably compared not to the entire MCU but one single superhero film: “ Spider-Man 2 ”. Writer/director Sam Raimi ’s 2004 sequel, the one where Peter Parker ( Tobey Maguire ) battles Doctor Octopus ( Alfred Molina ), was a box office smash and one of the best-reviewed comic-book movies. At the time, “Spider-Man 2” was the pinnacle of comic-book cinema. In his four-star review , Roger Ebert called it “the best superhero movie since the modern genre was launched with ‘Superman.’”

Fans of Raimi’s pre-Parker work weren’t surprised. His career began with a string of cult classics—the “ Evil Dead ” trilogy and “Darkman”—full of his signature sense of humor, hyper-zooms, cheap special effects and copious amounts of blood. His filmography reveals entry after entry of genre pulp featuring characters dealing with life-changing events.

While Raimi’s most well-known variation on that theme might be “Spider-Man 2,” his best is “ A Simple Plan ,” a slow-burning crime drama that opened in a handful of theaters 20 years ago.

A limited release that expanded from December 1998 to January 1999, “A Simple Plan” is Raimi’s most subtle, unstylish movie to date. Bill Paxton stars as Hank, a small-town husband and soon-to-be father who works at a feed store. Luck changes for Hank as he, his brother Jacob ( Billy Bob Thornton ), and their friend Lou ( Brent Briscoe ) find more than $4 million in an airplane that crash-landed in the woods. Small-town good ol’ boys turn into small-town criminals as complications pile onto the trio’s naive plan of keeping the money hidden from authorities.

Such a movie was different than anything Raimi had previously done. In a 1999 interview with Duane Dedek  at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , Raimi said “A Simple Plan” was his first attempt to put the script and acting ahead of his blood-soaked, B-movie style. While “A Simple Plan” underwhelmed at the box office , critics including Ebert called it “one of the year’s best films .” Further validation came when it picked up Oscar nominations for its screenplay (by Scott B. Smith , adapting from his 1993 novel of the same name) and Thornton’s supporting turn.

Raimi should get as much credit, not for “sitting back” as he suggested in that interview, but for using his style to his advantage. “A Simple Plan” is still very much a Sam Raimi production, from Danny Elfman ’s score to use of dissolves; from panic-inducing tension to splatters of blood. However, those tricks aren’t over-exaggerated, nor do they distract.

Within the first 15 minutes of “A Simple Plan,” Raimi establishes the barren, snow-laden setting. The good-intentions-gone-bad theme appears as a fox captures a hen. Raimi juxtaposes the fox’s hunt with the introduction of Hank, a broad, idyllic man who follows the wisdom of his father.

“I remember my father telling me what he thought that it took for a man to be happy,” Hank says. “Simple things, really. A wife he loves, a decent job, friends and neighbors who like and respect him.”

After Hank visits his parents’ grave with Jacob and Lou (a town drunk who would rather piss in the snow than pay his respects), Jacob nearly runs over the fox. Jacob swerves, crashing his truck into a tree. Jacob’s dog chases after the fox, leading the three men to snow-covered plane surrounded by ominous black crows. As Hank enters the plane to further investigate, crows panic, clawing at Hank. A frozen-dead body stumbles off the pilot’s seat, its hardened blood crashing to the floor. After the scurry, Hank comes out of the plane with a couple scratches and a bag full of money.

At each turn in this setup, Raimi jolts the audience with his trademarks—a few zooms, jump scares and a little gore. However, the rest of “A Simple Plan” is rooted in examining the consequences of a literal jackpot falling in these characters’ backyard. As Ebert noted in his review, the advantage Raimi has here is a flawless cast with players who own their roles.

As Hank, Paxton plays the generic family man turned aspiring thief. Hank is a guy with values, spouting lines like, “You work for the American Dream. You don’t steal it.” However, newfound wealth makes Hank determined and manipulative. After finding the money, Hank quickly becomes hellbent on convincing his wife Sarah ( Bridget Fonda ) to go along with his plan. Paxton’s gee-whiz attitude helps sell Hank’s breathless lies. Hank frantically takes control of the situation as each new hiccup arises. No one—not family, Lou, a suspicious neighbor, the town sheriff ( Chelcie Ross ) or a supposed FBI agent ( Gary Cole )—will get in Hank’s way. For an actor tied to delivering memorable lines like “Game over, man!” in “ Aliens ,” and playing support to spectacles in “ Twister ” and bigger casts in “ Apollo 13 ,” “A Simple Plan” is Paxton showing his range. He plays up his blue collar attitude while trying to hide darker motives.  

In Jacob, Thornton embodies a depressed, virginal drunk. The lonely, older brother to Hank, Jacob has nothing, save his dog, spare mattress and messy apartment. Jacob casually admits these details as a way to confess that keeping the money is as worthless as his life. On paper, Jacob reads as the typical Thornton character: the good-hearted loser with a drinking problem. In contrast to Thornton’s profane and loud turns in “ Bad Santa ” or “Goliath,” Jacob is soft-spoken and aloof, helplessly stuttering, puttering and wincing. For those who think Thornton always plays the badass, Jacob is the direct opposite, revealing the actor’s too-rarely-tapped range. “I mean hell, Hank, I’ve never even kissed a girl,” Jacob says. “You know, if me becoming rich is gonna change all that, you know I’m all for it.” It’s heartbreaking because of the honesty in Thornton’s performance contrasted against how clearly Raimi and Smith foreshadow the tragedy to come.

As Sarah, Fonda is also given more dimension than the typical girl-next-door parts for which she was known. Sarah is introduced as a heavenly sight, an angel standing pregnant and naked in the room of her soon-to-be-born daughter. When Sarah is told about the money, she desires only to protect the small, nice life her family has. But like Hank, greed quickly infects her mind. While working at the library, her job comes second to investigating how the plane crashed. Soon, she’s making suggestions to Hank’s stories, enabling him with lines like, “Nobody’d ever believe you’d be capable of doing what you’ve done.”

In a last ditch effort, she pleads her case. Through tears, she wonders what life would be like without the money. “What about me? Spending the rest of my life, eight hours a day, with a fake smile plastered on my face checking out books,” Sarah says to Hank. “And then coming home to cook dinner for you, the same meals over and over again, whatever the week's coupons will allow.”

Briscoe, a character actor known for turns in “Twin Peaks” and “ Sling Blade ,” is the loudest of all the leads as Lou. But his volume is necessary to the story, further complicating Jacob and Hank’s family dynamics. As Jacob’s best friend, Lou is the brother Hank isn’t. “You know we don’t have one thing in common me and (Hank), except maybe our last name,” Jacob tells Lou. “You’re more like a brother to me than he is.” Unlike Hank, Lou keeps Jacob’s attention with silly jokes and stories. Jacob and Lou regularly hang out at bars, taking beers with shots of whiskey. Eventually, Lou bumps into another patron and starts a fight. Such a temperament is a risk to Hank’s plan of quietly keeping the money. Lou could ruin everything, and Hank tries to convince Jacob of Lou’s reckless nature.

As the typically typecast performers subvert expectations, Raimi also stays out of the way of the already gripping story. “A Simple Plan” isn’t Raimi having fun at a genre’s expense. Instead, he’s honestly respecting the reality of these characters’ world. Any trace of the CGI wizardry we’ve come to expect with Raimi’s movies barely exists here (a few puppeteers were hired to control some crows, but that’s about it). Raimi even sought advice from the Coen brothers on how to shoot naturally and most effectively in the snow; a trick the brothers learned while shooting “ Fargo .”

Raimi foregoes the dark comedy and bloodshed of that Coen film for pulse-quickening tension borne from understandable, human decisions. Hank gets word that an FBI agent without a badge wants to investigate the crash site. Soon, Hank is balancing his family, greed and crimes—all while being cornered in the sheriff’s office. Yet, even in these jams, Hank still positions himself to get away clean. Each move, every bit of deception, piles up, forcing Hank and Jacob to face their lies. By the end of the film, the best Hank can hope for is a future filled with days when he manages “not to think of anything at all,” he says, “... as if none of it ever happened. Those days are few and far between.”

The days where Raimi would explore such themes with more restraint may be far behind us, too. By 2002, the director found the perfect showcase and budget for his style in “ Spider-Man .” He perfected the mix of his signature ingredients (special effects, tension-filled action, casts full of scene-stealing character actors like J.K. Simmons) in “Spider-Man 2.” Raimi does deserve credit for delivering a dramatic, stakes-filled superhero movie before DC and Marvel thought to build its’ cinematic universes. But before Raimi got his Spidey sense, he found space for his style to roam rather than dominate in “A Simple Plan.” Stripped of extravagance and $200 million budgets, Raimi proved he could make a smaller, more dramatic movie that’s as good, if not better, than his cult classics and blockbusters. Hopefully, it doesn’t take him another 20 years to return to that quieter, simpler place.

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A Simple Plan

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1993

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A Simple Plan by Scott Smith

Introduction

Two brothers and their friend stumble upon the wreckage of a plane–the pilot is dead and his duffle bag contains four million dollars in cash. In order to hide, keep, and share the fortune, these ordinary men all agree to a simple plan.

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By Hendrik Marais

Yes, the keto diet has been around for a while; you’ve heard about it but don’t fully understand the concept and think it’s too expensive. Or perhaps you tried it but were overwhelmed with a deluge of often conflicting information, so you gave up. Possibly, you are following it faithfully but need new inspiration.

Introducing the ketogenic lifestyle

Besides, there’s always new information coming to the fore. Following on the runaway success of his first book two years ago, Living the Ultimate Keto Lifestyle, Hendrik Marais has decided that it’s time to introduce the ketogenic lifestyle to even more people, while offering devotees a simplified breakdown of the latest trends, and a completely new set of easy and delicious recipes.

Keto Lifestyle: Simple is exactly that – a guide to implementing a ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting – with meal plans that are simple to follow – that makes sense, is both budget- and load shedding-friendly, and with all the tricks to save you time.

You’ll love the tasty recipes and even find ways to entertain your friends with menus that fall within this lifestyle. But there is so much more: nutritional information, advice on exercise and ways to maintain your motivation.

About the author

Hendrik Marais , entrepreneur, sports enthusiast and practising criminal defence attorney, has encouraged countless people to lose weight and start a healthier life through the Keto Lifestyle, which he founded in 2017, in response to his own journey through weight-loss.

Since then, it has become one of his most important life projects, enabling him to share his knowledge and experience to motivate and encourage others to lose weight and resolve their body image issues and negative relationships with food. His love for research, cross-discipline reading and an obsessive search for the optimal solution to his health problems led him to implement the ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting and a handful of simple yet effective habits and techniques for fat loss into his own life.

• PUBLISHER |  Penguin Random House SA  |
• ISBN | 9781485901716 |
• Recommended Retail Price |  R380.00 |
• Classification | Lifestyle |

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3 simple steps to get organized and save money.

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Owning a lot of stuff is expensive. And your disorganized belongings can cost you even more money. If you cannot find something, you rebuy it. One of the most commonly lost items is paper and original documents can be expensive to replace. Excess stuff costs time and money because important possessions are buried under things you don’t use or need. The good news is, if you get organized, you can save money, too.

It starts by understanding that when you reduce the volume, spaces have a way of organizing themselves. Owning less creates the organization you’re looking for. The perfect bin or a bigger house will not solve the problem. In fact, it typically makes it worse. A larger home is more expensive to buy, furnish, heat, cool, insure, and maintain. And you cannot buy your way out of disorganization either just by acquiring organizing tools. Buying organizing solutions will only mask the problem because excess stuff is the problem. And once upon a time, all that stuff was money.

So how do you turn the tide on disorganization and save money? These three steps and mindset shifts will help.

1. Identify The Excess Items

Start by identifying areas in your home that feel full or cluttered. Where are you trying to store too much stuff? These areas are spaces where it’s difficult to find things and where you cannot easily move around. You’re constantly rearranging because the room is full without margin . These rooms are places you just avoid entirely.

Are your pantry, fridge, and freezer jam packed? Is the closet overflowing? Do you have endless piles of paper? Do you own enough books and bookshelves to start your own library? Is your garage a place where things go missing?

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No matter the space, stocking up from a sale is not always a money saver. Food is more likely to go to waste in a full fridge or pantry because you don’t know what you have. Have you ever purchased an item in bulk and threw away half of it because your family doesn't like it anymore?

Donation centers are filled with brand new clothing and the original tags. Perhaps you have items like this in your closet? And yet, you still get dressed every day from a laundry basket. Are there piles of unread books but no time to read?

Once you identify the excess, applying the next step will help.

2. Set A New Boundary

Set boundaries for every category you own. This mindset shift ensures that our physical possessions don’t own us. Without boundaries, stuff can overtake your home. Think of boundaries as another way of budgeting not just your money but your time and space, too.

Before you buy, consider if there is room for another small appliance in the kitchen cabinets. Filling your kitchen counters with appliances makes cooking at home difficult. This leads families to choose expensive takeout instead. If there isn’t room for a new gadget, see if you can make the recipe a different way. And always designate a home for things before you buy. Respect the boundary you have and resist storing kitchen items in the garage or basement.

Similarly, keeping all your clothing in one closet will save time and money. No more searching through bins of off-season clothing when the weather changes. By setting a smaller boundary for your wardrobe, you keep only the items you wear and shop smarter .

3. Intentional Shopping

Now that you’ve defined boundaries for the items in your home, you’ll need habits and systems to keep it that way. This is where you can save the most money. Be an intentional shopper and make necessary purchases. By bringing less stuff into your home, it will be easier to live within the boundaries you established, and create more organization. Before you shop, adopt these money saving habits.

Create A Weekly Meal Plan

Start your meal plan by assessing the inventory of your fridge, freezer, and pantry and build as many dinners as you can without shopping. Research substitutions for unique ingredients. Buy only basic staples and items that complement the meal plan. Make a list and stick to it.

Use Up Consumables

Whether it’s cat food, travel toothpaste, cleaning products, or toilet paper, use all of it. Cancel subscriptions that have gotten out of hand. Resolve to not shop until absolutely necessary. (Yes, that means groceries, too.) Virtually any cabinet will be more organized with less stuff. Using this inventory will save money and reduce waste.

Borrow, Repurpose Or Reuse

If a need arises in your home, stop and consider other options before you buy. Avoid buying at all cost. Could you borrow the item from a neighbor? Can you repurpose or reuse something you already own? Don’t allow yourself to impulse buy.

Borrow, Don’t Buy Books

The goal of any book lover is to read more books not own more. When you reduce the number of books you own, you will read more. I purged my entire book collection and started reading more as a result. Pass on all the books that do not fit in your newly established boundary and stop buying books altogether. Maintain your boundary by borrowing from the library. The library is free and has various formats (hardcover, paperback, audio, and e-reader). You can save thousands of dollars by borrowing from the library.

Stop Paper Before It Enters Your Home

Establish one inbox as your paper boundary. Ensure that important documents such as bills are stored here. Process paperwork once a week so it doesn’t overwhelm your space and you avoid late payment fees. Stop at the recycle bin after collecting your mail to dispose of catalogs and coupons featuring advertisements. Take it a step further and stop credit card offers, loan pre-approvals, and catalogs from entering your mailbox by registering with Opt-Out Prescreen and Catalog Choice . Fewer advertisements means less buying.

There’s no question that owning less stuff will save you money but it’s not easy to shift your mindset and adopt new habits to reduce the items in your home.

Try this: Review your bank account and your average monthly expenditures. Make a note of the number. Consider how you feel about what you’re currently spending and saving. Could you make better decisions? Would you like to increase your savings each month? Set a goal.

Then, for 90 days adopt the five intentional shopping habits above. And review your bank account at the end of the 90 days. What’s the new monthly expenditure? If you commit to these five habits, you’ll see a significant difference. And your home and finances will be more organized, too.

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BLACKSTONE OUTDOOR GAS GRIDDLE COOKBOOK 2024: Easy and Delicious Recipes Including Baking Tips, Nutritional Information, Meal Plan and Full Color Images Kindle Edition

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• Print length 181 pages
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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D814ZPV4
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 24, 2024
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 39595 KB
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