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A billionaire struggling for hope searches the world for love; a country girl with a rifle stands ready to deliver justice; a former banker washes windows on the side of a skyscraper; the daughter of a foreign official is lured into the heart of San Francisco; the son of a wealthy divorcee helps recover her lost soul; in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, a sculptor's work inspires and uplifts; a teacher pursues an elusive assassin; a family man follows his own course in preparation for apocalypse. In *Lunch Break,* a collection of short stories and poems by Quent Cordair, adventure, suspense and romance rule the day as the protagonists pursue their ends with passion and perseverance. The collection includes stories originally published in *The Atlantean Press Review* and *ART Ideas.*

The selected stories: "A Prelude to Pleasure," "April's Justice," "The Whistler," "The Seduction of Santi Banesh," "For the Woman Who Has Everything," "The Sculpture That Won the War," "The Hunter" and "Sheltered." The selected poems: "My Pledge," "Holding Your Hand," "The Line," "Your Hands," "Priceless," "In My World," "Suite Boxes," "For My Softest One" and "Clever Girl."

"Written with an engaging voice and a masterful control of language, this powerful short story delivers a meaningful message..." - Michael Alger, review of "Sheltered," Kindle edition.

"A beautiful, innocent young girl discovers this-worldly values and makes the most important decision of her life. That's about all there is to this story, and yet it is a delicious pleasure to read. Cordair's descriptions of the city, his insight into the various psychologies of the characters, his metaphors, and especially his admirable heroine, all combine to take the reader on a joyous journey of discovery, right along with Santi. The ending is one of the most perfect I've ever encountered, summing up the benevolence of the whole experience with its simplicity and inevitability. Cordair has seduced me - his is the type of world that I choose to live in." -- Amy Mossoff, review of "The Seduction of Santi Banesh," Kindle edition.

"I read this story during recovery from a painful hip fracture and found it so absorbing that it took my mind off the post-operative pain. So perhaps one way of praising it would be to say, 'it's better than Percocet'!" -- Paul Hsieh, review of "A Prelude to Pleasure," Kindle edition.

"This short story was delightful to read. In contrast to the dull, prosaic prose of so much fiction today, Cordair beautifully paints for the reader the psychological state of a man driven by fear and how this manifests itself in his life. The progression of events is logical and the ending of the story is ultimately fulfilling in the sense that when the inevitable turn of events unfold, the reader is left with the thought that, given the nature of the characters and their circumstances, this is how it ought to have been. Moreover, Cordair seems to have a gift for grasping exactly how much detail a reader needs of an environment and of a character, such that the story comes alive and is engaging, but I never once felt like I was forced to read unnecessary facts that are irrelevant to the plot. After reading this book, I immediately purchased on my Kindle his other short story, A Prelude to Pleasure, and I'm looking forward to his release of his full-length novel." -- Adam Mossoff, review of "Sheltered," Kindle edition.

"With imagination and story-telling skill, Quent Cordair weaves an exquisite tale that leaves the reader wanting more." -- Michael Wilkinson, review of "The Seduction of Santi Banesh," Kindle edition