Tasty ‘Slices’ of a pizza delivery guy’s life

'Slices” is a slim volume Rob Cline put together 'so as not to be the one Writing Lad with nothing new” at upcoming book readings for the three.

'Slices” (CreateSpace, 50 pages, $5) offers four charming short stories that play to Cline's strengths - wit, dialogue and goofy situations for pizza delivery driver/philosophy major Paul Chambers.

The first story, 'Shortcuts,” precedes the action in Cline's 2013 novel, 'Murder by the Slice,” which had Chambers embroiled in a tangled web of villains, reporters, baseball and pizza deliveries.

The other three stories take place after the novel and reveal still more of the rules for peaceful pizza delivery - never go inside a customer's home, don't try to beat trains at crossings, avoid the metaphysical if you want customers to tip.

Cline, who once delivered Godfather's Pizza in Cedar Rapids, enjoys himself in these stories, and you will, too.

We get to meet the Mysterious Morgan, a psychic, who, inspired by anchovies, delivers an important message from the beyond the pale. In another story, Paul saves the day for a careerist delivery driver. The other two stories introduce the hapless Carjacking Jack and an even more clueless hungry guy with a gun.

We can only hope these stories are fiction and not based on fact. And that Cline finds time in his busy life to bring us more slices of his special pies.