All Comments on 'The Shack: The Milk Run'

wonderful, almost nothing is better than discovering you've posted new material. Found myself wondering recently if Hollywood ever followed up with Jinxy. You have created a world of indelible characters.

After reading this for the third time, I am trying to figure out who could possibly be a romantic interest to the mayhem girls. The only names I can think of from the Shack series is Finn and Patrick. Who else would be worthy of Delany and Mckenzie to their parents, Also, Tess needs a MIT scholarship.

Great writing, thanks to you and the Miissus.

I really enjoyed the series, I would like to see more adventures of the girls

This series of stories would make great films or tv series. I absolutely was riveted. If only a film budget could keep up with Delaney!

Please keep doing these projects. They are fantastic.

I just finished Needles and Delaney, then i find this.....Todd you writw GREAT STUFF.

Great stuff, Todd! Keep them coming! 5, of course.

Todd,

I loved the whole Needles and Delaney series! More please!

Igor1944

I simply love the entire Shack story line and greatly appreciate the effort by all involved!!

This one series has always resonated way too much for me. These days I'd probably be more Howard, but I was the smallest guy in the Regiment for a very long time. And my call sign was "psycho". Do the math. I love Delaney. Please bring us more one fine day?

All I've got to say is hurry up and write more!

Absolutely great

I love how you mesh stories with previous ones

Keep up the great work

love this series hope for more

Just too much fun! Please keep it going, this is the third time I've read it and probably not the last.

Igor1944

I used to be able to type two handed but as my age advanced I developed intention tremor aka family tremor. Because of that I now type with one finger. Writing by typing is very hard now.

I love Todd and the Missus as a writing team. They just get better and better with each story. I bought his book and sent the Kindle to my daughter.

to contradict the males and their work. TK U MLJ LV NV

most of the people we never get to see or hear about. TK U MLJ LV NV

I think this story is among the best on this or any fictional literature site, and half the stories I would mark as its equal are written by this same author Todd172 and the wife are as reliable as, well Delaney breaking shit while getting the job done.

Thank you for the story! The characters plus your writing style make it tons of fun to read.

I'm wondering if folks understand the Q-car reference. Forgive me if I am wrong but I think Q-Ships were used in WW1 against German submarines. Heavily armed ships that posed as defenseless merchant ships. Would have been interesting to know what type of firepower Billy had....

Best author on the site. Every time.

Bravo Bravo Bravo... Nuff Said - easiest 5 star rating ever

Stumbling here for a sufficiently august adjective for this story... damn!!!

I love the cottage series. Keep it up please.

5 stars.

Have to say I love it. Just waiting for the next story.

Really appreciate the way that other characters from the Shack manage to turn up here. Sometimes in person, sometimes simply by having their names mentioned, other times by implication (a comment on wolves in a Russian accent), and the like. Even the car (Billy) is named after someone from an earlier story.

Excellent tale. Well told.

Love Needles/ Delanie. On a par withElmore Leonard. Maybe better

Absolutely loved it. Also, just finished Needles and Delaney, I got the book for Christmas. I hope there will be more coming, the extra parts (other than what's online) are amazing.

this cast of names is giving you several decades of tales from the shack. TK U MLJ LV NV

@lujon2019, about 2 months ago - if you look at Todd’s biography, you will see that he and the Missus have produced a list showing the order the 19 (to date) Shack stories should be read in. 5 stars as usual

Love, absolutely love your writing, and especially The Shack stories. I'm in awe of your ability to imbue your characters with life. I really enjoyed the callback to Delaney's first meeting with Needles with the "Easy there, just getting you strapped in." line. Thanks so much for sharing this world you've created, and all the people who inhabit it. I hope you continue to fill it with characters and their stories for a long time to come.

"Clueless, they streamed by me intent on their shopping, flavored coffees, and apparently endless streams of text messages." This is the writer's craft--building sentences with rhythm and meaning. I recognize it and commend you.

Absolutely worth the wait! I missed this when it was first posted but glad I went back to check. Please don't stop writing and posting. I always smile for days after reading your stories. Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. I look forward to your next posts in 2022.

my wife and I have been working together on things for 48 years and you two are doing a great job of it. keep it up.

Near the end the machine pistol is noted as under the dash and her service pistol in the purse. Then a few paragraphs later touches the machine pistol. 3rd time reading it and just noticed. Special shout out to Needles and Delaney on Kindle

In some future story, you need to work something in to more precisely define Delaney's lineage. How does The Reinhardt fit in ? It's been established that Needles is father to Tara/Tiffany. Must somehow be through Charli as she is mother to all three women.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire Needles and Delaney stories. I want more because this was so awesome! I want more!!

I like Delaney stories! She scares me .......

I love the entire storyline of Needles and Delaney. I am waiting patiently for the next story in this series. You and your wife make a great writing team. Keep it up. A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 5 stars

Read all the stories. Awesome stuff. This particular chapter gives the girls a nice boost and Lester's arrival at the end is perfect. It has everything you expect but with one exception in my personal opinion. You could have spent one more page and made it better to reward all the readers who read the entire series like I did.

Since Maria did a lot work towards the end and made the connection, that means Charlotte cheated on Less earlier on (I'm guessing that's what you meant when talking about Delaney's eyes).

So maybe Maria let the details passed on to Tara anonymously, she gets pissed at her mom, goes with Tiffany and confronts her and maybe get a confession. Since Tara is already pissed with the plans Charles had she and Tiffany decides to expose Charlotte once and for all along with the plans for Tara. That would have been icing on the cake and if after the truth is exposed maybe Maria, Tara and even Emma get together and nullify Delaney's death game (in secret though allowing her to grow thinking the danger is real). Delaney needs a break after all what has happened to her. That would be the cherry on the icing.

The reason I mention this is because Lester deserves better. After all this entire series is mentioned as "Delaney and Needles". So since your very 1st page here started with Charlotte cheating and ripping Lester off it's only fitting to end the last page with the appropriate closure for Lester. Not any graphical sex stuff. But the mention itself is enough. Ultimately according to your ending the cheating slut goes on to become a senator and the poor hero becomes a cuckload even though he maybe considered the REAL father of all the 3 girls. I personally think it's WRONG.

Besides it will be the exact thing Lester needs too coz he won't be thinking of strangling her every time they meet as she has been punished already once she is exposed. She looses the high life along with all her dreamsand maybe realise ( just maybe) if it was all worth selling her body like that. The perfect ending for Needles.

Only my opinion. Hope it's not inconvenient to anyone here.

Enjoyed it well.

Hi again,

@Todd172 and the Missus

My previous comment is assuming this is the end of the series "Needles and Delaney" series. If this is not the end my apologies. Having said that would really appreciate that story line included if you haven't already thought about it.

Thanks for the wonderful stories

I have read it at least ten times it is still fricken great. one of your top three can't wait for spooky delaney and jinxy together

This should be made into a movie. Couldn't be on TV, too much bad language.

More, more!!

RSKY

5 stars isn't enough. The shack series is easily the best on this site. Thanks so much for the fun read. Writing it must have been a blast.

All the best to you.

4th time I read This. I really love it.

Doc Spirit 3

I’ve enjoyed all the Shack stories since I found them a few years ago. My favorites are Monster and The Guardian, or wore until the Needles/Delaney story line took on a life of its own.

I think the epilogue indicates their story arc is far from finished. I await further enlightenment. ;-)

Another gripping tale! I could read this stuff all day, or listen on Audible. Maybe a podcast? Thank you for your service. And gifts and creativity.

This is incredible and I'm glad I stumbled across this. Brilliant writing and the little details in the story makes for some exceptional reading.

Yeah, I picked up on all those hints, that had Maria suspecting, Delaney was Emma’s sister the second time through. Genius. Think Charlotte, knows who the father is now or has she always known?

I have a complaint; you are spending way too much time doing stuff other that writing. I don't care what you write, I like all of your work. I'd subsidize you, but I'm not rich enough. Just so you know. BTW, tales from the Shack are my favorites.

Awesome. Full circle from the brainless and helpless thirteen year old girl to the fifteen year old, multi - talented and unimaginably dangerous Delaney Dawes. And as a bonus, you gave us a taste of a Delaney - Spooky operation. My favorite Delaney story, and that's really saying something!

Great. Is there a Thug Bunny and Danger Mouse collaboration on the horizon?

Vis-a-vis the suggestions of a movie. While it is obvious, Hollywood would butcher the storyline & the characters.

Five stars as usual and i still think that you should have a producer for a short movie or television series these stories are made for it and it would be awesome!

5 star fantastic!

I love your stories hope all sisters meet up the shack for a Barbeque in one of your stories

Fantastic! Kudos to your editors and Missus. I started this story on a tablet using the Lit app but for some reason it only downloaded part of the story. I had to reload on the computer to finish it. You were promoting other authors at the end, have you tried any of BurntRedstone' work? Thanks again for an excellent story I'll be reading more of yours.

Anony Mous

Best of all your tales. I appreciate all the research you put into your tales. I've had some experience in many of the things you tell about.

I just finished this story again. I still love it after reading it for the 7th time.

Doc Spirit 3

I reread your stories constantly, thanks!!!! Also, thanks for you being you, I am working again, and your email and support is one of the reasons why I am!!!!! You and The Missus rock!!!! Love you!!!!!!!!

hope you have a new shack story soon great stories, I hope Delaney and Emma meet again in Family action

The paternal reveal there at the end threw me... Imma have to use Analyst's Notebook to figure out the networks and nodes of all your characters throughout the interrelated series...

When I was reading through the beginning bits - where it became obvious that the DDirector had a sucking chest wound, I wondered how you were going to play that out. The improvised chest-tube drain was almost letter-perfect from the kind of hip-pocket training that a really good 18D would give on a shitty Friday morning, killing time on Smoke Bomb Hill before early dismissal could be arranged.

I hope you'll keep writing... And I hope - somehow - you're able to make some money from it: You're as good as the Robert Parkers or Stuart Woods of the world, and then some!

DOL

I bought your first book, you deserve compensation for your work. I am waiting on the next two with all The Shack stories. What a movie Needles and Delaney could be. Please, more of these ever expanding characters.

Your yarns are rivetting. Will we ever see more, or even their like?

ian flemming, eat your heart out, very very good, and also a good story line, 1000/1000!

Yep, one of the best thrillers I've read in a very long time. I can't wait to see what comes next... Thank. you so much!

@Purple_Squirrel19 (c 2 months ago)

I think you misunderstand when Maria makes the link between Emma and Delaney. Tara and Tiffany are Lester’s biological children. The familial likeness between them and Delaney is attributes they share with their mother. The main thing that Delaney shares with Emma are the blue topaz eyes that they share with their father, the Reinhardt. In fact if you re-read the epilogue you will note that Maria specifically mentions Delaney’s “other features” - the eyes - ie ones she doesn’t share with Tara and Tiffany. Definitely the best stories on Lit. 5*

I strongly suggest everyone buys the Needles and Delaney book on Amazon. I got the Kindle and the hard copy versions. There new scenes and more explanations of the plot. The stories are much better. Highly recommended!

Todd and the Missus are the best story tellers according to me, but what do I know? I have been a voracious reader for most of my 80 years and this series keeps me amazed and having fun as I follow their antics. I even bought the Needles and Delany series for Kindle, I liked it so much. 5+ stars. p.s. I served in the USAF. Delaney's use of the 'f' word fits her character perfectly. It is easy to love her like a granddaughter. Go Girl, Go.

My second time through "the milk run" Great story! Just ordered Needles and Delaney from Amazon, can't wait to read the extra 20k words!

This and the Tales are worthy of a Netflix series.

In your post-production notes, you say there's no money in it. Very admirable that you don't do it for that reason. I'm not all that fond of money. But in competent hands, it can do a lot of good. More than that, here money equates to a bigger audience for a powerful, needed message (the post-modern in me won't let me say more.) I would like to see your story as a well-produced movie. Netflix seems to be flexible about pitches. All the best to y'all, Doc Ron

Excellent 3rd read...

I agree that N&D’s adventures

would make a great Netflix film.

Todd, I hope that you and The

Missus are well and writing up

a storm...

Wow, second read and I thought that I had commented after the first one so unless I was deleted I didn't get it done. Very good story, always drop all others when yours shows up. Hats off to you and the Missus, great that you have things you can do together. I just wouldn't want to piss her off. Or you either. Keep 'em coming. Like the attitudes of your guys and gals.

pappy

Please keep The Shack stories coming. When I read them they have me riveted until I finish. Great series. TYVM

I find these have become some of my favorite stories. Of all time. Truly fun to read.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. As others have commented, re-read The Shack tales periodically and enjoy them all over again. Also previously noted by others, looking forward to Jinxy's stories.

Have seen these are available as ebooks, I am a paperback person myself. These stories rank with stories by any of the successful series authors such as Clancy or Griffin.

Wow.

Absolutely loved this installment of the Delaney & Needles saga. The Shack universe has become one of my favorite reads on this site. Simply hunger for more stories from the Todd172 writing team!

really nice twist at the end. what else can go wrong or maybe right for this kid

I really liked it. Would like to have more Needles and Delaney.

Possible for more on the Camp Mayham group as well.

Love these stories.

Occasionally I do get tied up in details like the number of people with blue eyes. That's a recessive gene so it has to contributed by both parents so the simple fact that the Reinhart is Delaney's father wouldn't have been enough. Ditto Emma. And Emma's daughter Ellie - simply having a blue eyed mother wouldn't have been enough.

Second reading. Just as much fun. I could read one of your stories a day and be happy. Thanks for sharing your (plural) skills. Hard to know how much credit to give the “missus” but I suspect it’s more then half.

Just reread this and anxiously awaiting for the next installment. And of course the next Needles and Delaney book.

Question? Was the memory of the check double-check inspired by Warren's lyrics or Linda's voice. I believe you are old enough to be among the first group of Willy's 'two types of men in this world' .

Another story well told by Todd and the Missus and of course the great job of the editors and proof readers. I really do understand the need for proof readers. I write letters and my comments and seem to know what I said but after reading them back I find missing words and words out of order, duh! Of course I don't really know how to type. I sort of know where the keys are but only because my home room in high school was a typing class and the typewriters all had blank keys with only a chart on the black board. I guess I'm dating myself with those terms.............great job to all those that were part of making this a very good story.

It would be nice to see "The Shack" last as long as MASH or Star Trek. Thx. I know it's tons of work, which we devour in a nonce. I'm reminded of an old (George Burns?) joke; ~A lady writes to Encyclopaedia Britanica. "Just received your set and I want to thank you for a very enjoyable evening." Shack is/was addictive.

One complaint: I had difficulty backtracking "read all these first," only to find being told to read these others first." It would help others if you can preface the entire related series with S1, S2... etc, starting with whatever was way before Monster. If you did that, I may join others and reread the 'set.' That part was painful.

Just finished rereading the whole series. I must say that I’m a little jealous of your talent. Thank you both for sharing your efforts with us, you are very much appreciated.

An old curmudgeon

I tried to figure out how old Needles is from the hints in the stories.

* In Smuggler's Blues Needles washed out just before Wendy joined the unit.

* In Gun Gun Teddy Bear Kimmie is maybe 4, in Ladykiller she is a lawyer so at least 22.

* In the prison inprocessing scene in Implacable man it is revealed that Needles did 13 years with Delta and 17 years with SOCOM.

* Delaney has been with Needles for 2 years.

* Makenzie is a year older than Delaney

* I am assuming that Needles joined the army when he was 18.

18 + 13 + 17 + (22 - 4) + 2 = 68

Spry man, Needles...

Okay, that is pretty cool math and it mostly fits... except he was with 5th Special Forces Group for 13 years not Delta/Combat Applications Group. Then he was recruited to The Shack for another 4 before having to retire. The Shack and 5th Group are both under SOCOM, so the 13 years with Group is not cumulative. 68-13 = 55, more or less. Still Spry, but starting to feel it more and more, which was part of the aub-text of Unstoppable Man. Old Age gets us all...

Still, very cool, well done math.

You nicely weave very different story arcs in a way that reminds me of either James Michener or Tom Clancy so very well done. I knew a writer of historic romance and know how hard that is even with a lot of pre planning and notes. Well done.

I’d be interested to see Monster’s reaction to Delaney if they bump into each other. He actively tracked Spooky when she showed up at the Shack. I reckon Pogo recognised another predator when they met. And as for Spooky, I think that she sees a different part of herself in each of the camp mayhem team.

Wow, OK. The Kindle Needles and Delaney was well worth a few dinero. Reread the Blue Eyes chapters and the entire Delaney saga to date. Peanut gallery comment time:

1. The second round of the collect the Darwin bounty is approaching, and the big bad is completely in the shadows. Guess that may come together. The Villains need to be developed to be a worthy adversary for our collected anti-heroes.

2. Careful of the George RR Martin effect where he adds too many characters and plot lines that the story becomes unwieldy.

3. If Netflix doesn’t already have the Shack in development, I would love to see a graphic novel series. At least a good artist doing character work ups. That would be definitely cool.

Thanks for the entertainment. Seriously.

Love all the stories about the ":Shack". Hope more will follow.

Highly entertaining series (Needles and Delaney), well worth 5* rating. Funny, endearing, violent and had enough to make a believable. I will be buying the books on Amazon.

Excellent work. Well-structured and 100% plausible.

A great plotline with well written stories. I can’t wait for a fleshed version to drop on Amaxon to add to the Needles and Delaney story arc.

I suspect that Needles is planning based on this, but regarding Delaney’s “Darwin” legacy…. At some point she is going to realize that most of the advantages go to the hunter rather than the hunted. She has access to the resources to find out where her trust transfers to every four years. I suspect people are going to be just dying to get off inheritance list.

WTF kind of stupid story was that?

Please keep writing

You two make a great team, great stories, love the shack

Looking forward to buying on Amazon - will we get more Thai food reference in the book version?