The Greedy Three by Karen Katchur

Podium Publishing, Feb. 2023

ISBN: 9781039416307

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

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Poor Noah Weber!  All he wanted to do was transport an illegitimate baby (complete with a teenage stand-in mom) across the US border to sell to a wealthy Canadian couple.  A simple plan like that: what could possibly go wrong?  

Well, plenty!  When the money drop part of the deal goes bad on the US side, a local hermit (who happens to be baby-obsessed) wanders across the aftermath, takes the money and hides it.    Her cabin becomes the site of most of the book, as all three characters wind up there with their own agendas.  The hermit, Hester, wants the baby; the teenage fake mom, Eve, has the baby but wants the money; and Noah wants both, so he can complete the deal.  None of them trust each other, so it becomes a bizarre version of a Mexican standoff, with each of them looking to get what they want.  There is a bit more to the plot, but that covers the basics without spoiling anything.

It’s a fun read. Katchur has proven herself to be a good writer over the past few years.  The book varies between predictability, and wild unpredictability.  There are twists that the reader won’t see coming, and there are some that you can easily guess.  Example: since there is a baby in the book and most writers tend to loathe hurting kids or infants in fiction, you can probably guess what will happen.  But the fun maneuvering between Noah, Hester, and Eve doesn’t go where expected, and there is some darkly amusing humor throughout the story, which gives the book its own flavor.  The scene with the three of them fighting, while they are all suffering from a bad case of the trots and have to keep dashing to the bathroom is hilarious, warped fun.  The interactions and squabbling between the three of them are the best part of the book. They are quirky, fun characters, Noah being the most entertaining.

It’s the book’s unpredictability that may work against it for readers that expect realism.  One example is Noah and Hester.  She hid the money and won’t tell him where it is, but he has the gun and control of the situation.  Why not just beat it out of her, or threaten to shoot the baby, which Hester is obviously attached to?  But…he doesn’t.  Perhaps he really isn’t that bad of a guy after all, despite being involved in a sleazy business?  Or, is it just too unrealistic to be plausible?  That will depend on the reader.  There are a couple other scenes along the same line, but by not taking the obvious path, Katchur allow the unexpected to happen, and it helps the storyline.  Again, it may be too much for some readers, but most will probably enjoy it.

Although it is uneven at times, The Greedy Three is an engaging story of three people trying to double-cross each other, and the interactions between them are enough to carry the story across the finish line.  The majority of readers will likely get a kick out of this.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson