All Comments on 'The Luddite Conspiracy Ch. 03'

Again! This is it. First class story-telling, and top-notch thoughtful writing. You've won a dedicated reader.

I had intended, by this time, to have app. 8,000 words of act four finished and ready to edit. I was going to use my downtime today to complete said editing, and then send it in tonight.

Work, however, has been a particularly harsh mistress, and I am not quite as far along as all that. I am trying to work as quickly as I can without getting sloppy, so I should have it sent very soon. I will post here again when I do, for those few who are waiting.

Thanks!

and finely-woven tale, the complexities perfectly handled, the characters consistent and real. And the writing near-perfect. You are a remarkable writer: I wish I had your ability. Thank you.

you must be hell of a writer, everything is there, emotions, drama, crime, thriller, Just keep it as it is. Somooth and killler.

This has been one of the hardest stories I've ever read on this site. It's too raw! The writing is brilliant, the plot thick, while the dialogue and the characters are very, very real.

I knew it was a mistake to start reading this before it was completely posted!! I'm sitting on pins and needles here waiting for the next instalment.

Anyway, thank you author, your efforts and talent are indeed greatly appreciated.

you leave the stories, incomplete, often, but still justice is done in each of in the end. I know this story will also have justce in the end, but dont be cruel, this time. (or make manin character cold hearted in the end)

Just because only a few comment, it doesn't mean that many are not reading. I second all of the praise from other readers and think that anyone mature enough to appreciate the depth of your writing is willing to wait patiently for the rest of the story.

Quality, when delivered is of far more importance than a quick but shallow satisfaction. All I would ask is that you continue to the finish of the story. As it's particularly frustrating when an author draws the reader into an emotional investment in the characters and story, only to be left hanging at the end with the story unresolved.

Take as long as you need, to write the story and as long as the story needs to be, to properly tell it. Do that and you will have earned the fullest measure of our respect and admiration.

This story just keeps getting better and better. I, for one, am officially in the "impatently waiting for the next chapter" category.

Without consulting an attorney this guy is doomed. If he isn't smart enough to protect himself against a wife who bedded his co-worker a couple days after he left he has no chance against a real opponent like Tracy.

Story has been interesting so far but is starting to spiral out of control in this chapter; being 'right' saves your conscience, not your ass. Involve an attorney and law enforcement professionals or risk further criminal and civil liability.

It's done. I want to sleep on it and do one last edit run tomorrow morning, and then I'll submit the final chapter.

Let me tell you why I have problems with this story. Yes, it is well written and has a plot, but the contrived situations annoy me. How simple would it have been for Gina to tell Neil that I found the note where Cecile hid it, so I would not be able to read it. My goodness, there is a revelation that might be important. How easy would it be to simply say that Cecile let it slip that Tracy is involved up to her eyeballs and told him not to call. Two easy, simple sentences that might make for less drama, but no, the author draws out the drama as the all important meeting awaits. The lack of communication between husband and wife on critical points is simply incredible.

Neil is not the only one biting his nails (figuratively speaking). The story is well written and the tension and suspense built nicely. Sindey43's criticism is unwarranted when you consider your are dealing with two people under immeasurable stress.

I anxiously await chapter 4. Please post it soon.

My only other comment, before I race on to read the final chapter, is to say that the lengthy speech Neil gave near the end of this chapter, while eloquent and powerful, doesn't seem to fit very well the character as he has been developed thus far: a strong, intelligent but very reserved guy, who rarely speaks 10 words when 8 words will do, and who in fact has trouble being direct with his feelings. All of a sudden, here's a speech about the consequences of an affair, awkwardness, etc.

But none of that takes away from the incredible intensity of the story. It's like reading the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books--you just cannot stop!

Thanks, ohio

On to the last chapter

amazing how damn stupid Gina is.

amazing how stupid shuttlepilot is !

this story is so well done that I am flying through it at a record speed. Five stars. Hard to know what is coming next. I guess her sleeping with Cecil is to be expected given the evidence, the absence of hubby, and the planned seduction. Still, she reacted well when hubby called and has the good sense to go back home.

I sense a reconciliation is in the mix with hubby being cleared and the grounds for forgiveness well established. However, ST often surprises me with his endings. But out of all his wife characters, I like Gina best.

Heartbreaking. She was duped, but she fell far too easily. Love it. Five stars.

"I said I'm not interested. Listen...I understand the weight of the evidence they threw at you. It's a lot. And I know that without that letter my actions probably looked dubious at best."

So called evidence, heresay at best but lies in actual fact.

She didn't have any reasoning in doing the dirty on him. And what about Tracy? She already had reason to doubt her word but didn't choose to confirm the allegations made against Neil.

But great writing, and even if you use the emotion clouded her judgement ploy it's still head and shoulders above most thypical cheater stories. *****

Gina is too big a piece of shit to deserve Neil.

Trashy whore.

Neil: "I said I'm not interested. Listen...I understand the weight of the evidence they threw at you. It's a lot. And I know that without that letter my actions probably looked dubious at best. But it took you three days of thinking the worst to climb into another man's bed. Three days. Not even a man's bed...a boy's, really. And, even if it had taken a week, or a month, the point is that that's where you ended up. This thing happened. Regardless of what I feel for you, or you for me, that's going to be a very sizable issue that we are going to have to face."

=====> Summarizes their situation well. Personally I think Gina is a lot less loathsome than the other cheating wives by this author (Laura or schizo Amy, anyone?), but she has her work cut out for her. Sure she was besieged by a lot of "evidence" and lies, but she chose to trust the asshole over her husband. His charm and comfort before bedding her was the linchpin, though Paul's messed up phone call didn't help. So yeah I feel sorry for her, but only a bit, because ... IT TOOK THREE DAYS!! It is interesting how it took one annrevuated phone call with Neil to tilt her back. But she jumped into the young asshole's bed in 3 days.

Yes Cecile manipulated her. Lied to her. Comforted her. The various phone calls. Her husband disappearing. Took her out on the town. Got her drunk (but not so much she didn't remember the great sex with the young predator). Told her he loved her. But it all happened in three days. Seriously.

In that time frame she thought her husband abandoned her for a mystery woman and disappeared, maybe only to come back to pick up his things. Really? What does that say about her insecurities?

Yeah she got played but there was no PI report. No video. No doctored photos. No unimpeachable witness (well except for Paul but that got garbled and misconstrued and fed into what she feared).

It is good that after the phone call, she knew that something was wrong. And she wasn't openly hostile to Neil and rapidy her thinking was being disassembled on the fly as they talked. But she went from faithful wife to adultery in THREE DAYS. You shouldn't even do that if she had been shown a faked video. Why? Because she never confronted Neil. She only had input from others who obviously had no good intent for her marriage. Thankfully Neil got back in 3 days though she did not come back the critical 3rd night.

I suspect that they can eventually get passed this. But it will take a lot of work. At least Gina didn't fall into the tiresome LW trope of the sex was so great, that she fixated on it (Linda in February Sucks, anyone?). We see in her own internal monologue that while the sex was great, she examined quickly the reasons why, knew they were ephemeral, and realized it wasn't a significant factor.

The issue was she was so certain her husband abandoned her that she slept with the predator who set it all up in just three days. That will be a big hurdle. It is a one time horrible choice driven by anger, jealousy, seduction, lies and fear, but it was not a slip. She went down willingly in a real short time. That raises huge feelings of inadequacy and distrust for Neil. But both Neil and Gina are smart people. With counseling and communication they should be able to get past it.

But all the intellectualizing of this incident will not fix all of the emotional damage that Cecile rained down on their marriage. It will take time and may never be what it was. This was essentially a gruesome mistake on her part, but the timeline really makes it devastating. But it appears Neil is not running away and she is resolved to fighting for their marriage and will have to put up with a lot of crap as a result. It did help that she came clean and owned up to it. But still wow, really disheartening. She has her work cut out for her.

This author writes so well, they can make a one time incident into something really emotionally devastating.