u/Lanky_Ad1120

Escaped convict returns home for revenge during COVID, only to discover the woman who betrayed him is dying and would this work as a neo-western crime novel/series?

I’ve been developing a story idea that mixes a tragic romance, outlaw crime thriller, and neo-western drama set during the height of the COVID pandemic in the American Southwest.

The main character is Henry “Hawk” Reyes, an escaped convict who breaks out of an Arizona prison after spending years behind bars for a murder he claims was self-defense. He returns to his hometown planning to confront the woman he loved, Juliet, who testified against him years earlier and ruined his life.

But when he finally finds her, he discovers she’s dying from a severe heart condition caused by long-term COVID complications and desperately needs a transplant.

As the story unfolds, Hawk learns the truth: Juliet never actually betrayed him out of hatred. Years earlier, Hawk killed her brother while protecting another woman from assault, and corrupt cops manipulated the case. Juliet testified against Hawk because she believed prison was the only way to keep him alive long enough to avoid being murdered in a staged encounter.

At the same time, a massive private hospital corporation has been exploiting the pandemic through black-market organ trafficking, fake ICU shortages, donor manipulation, and extorting desperate families.

So Hawk and Juliet become reluctant partners and start robbing the hospital’s illegal cash transports across New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada to pay for her transplant before time runs out.

Meanwhile:

• A female detective is hunting Hawk across the Southwest
• Corrupt deputies are working for the hospital chain
• Hawk slowly becomes an outlaw folk hero online
• The hospital executives are covering up deaths and organ sales tied to the pandemic

The tone is very grounded and emotional rather than action-heavy superhero stuff.

Think:

• Hell or High Water
• Sicario
• Sons of Anarchy
• Bonnie & Clyde
• Wind River

The ending is tragic:
Hawk eventually sacrifices himself so his heart can be donated to Juliet after he’s mortally wounded.

Main themes:

• love vs survival
• corruption during crisis
• healthcare inequality
• guilt and redemption
• whether someone society labels a criminal can still be a good person

I’m mainly wondering:

1. Does the COVID setting still feel emotionally relevant or are people tired of pandemic stories?
2. Would this work better as a novel, limited series, or film?
3. Does the premise feel grounded enough emotionally?

Would genuinely love honest feedback.

Working on a crime/drama novel idea set during COVID and wanted feedback.

The story follows Henry “Hawk” Reyes, an escaped convict who returns to his dying New Mexico hometown to get revenge on the woman who testified against him years earlier.

But when he finds her again, he discovers she’s dying from a severe heart condition caused by COVID complications and needs an immediate transplant.

The twist is that Hawk slowly learns she never truly betrayed him — she lied in court years ago to save him from being murdered by corrupt cops after he killed her brother in self-defense while protecting another woman.

Meanwhile, a giant private hospital chain is exploiting the pandemic through illegal organ trafficking, fake ICU shortages, and black-market transplant deals. Hawk and his ex become reluctant partners and start robbing the hospital’s cash operations across the Southwest to pay for her surgery before time runs out.

Think:

• Neo-western crime thriller
• Pandemic-era America
• Lovers on the run
• Corrupt healthcare empire
• Tragic romance in the style of Hell or High Water + Sons of Anarchy + Bonnie & Clyde

The ending is bittersweet:
Hawk eventually sacrifices himself so his own heart can be transplanted into the woman he still loves.

Trying to make it feel grounded, emotional, and morally gray instead of melodramatic.

Would this work better as:

1. A novel
2. A limited series
3. A feature film

Also curious whether the COVID setting still feels emotionally relevant or if audiences are burned out on pandemic stories

I used to live in this old apartment complex that always felt… wrong. I can’t fully explain it, but the place had this heavy atmosphere that made me uncomfortable even during the day. Weird noises at night, elevators stopping on random floors, that kind of thing. It was one of those apartment buildings built above a busy shopping area, so underneath the apartments there were grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, and fast food places. There were always people around during the day, which somehow makes this feel even stranger to me now.

One afternoon I was walking home from school. My school was like about 10 minutes away from the apartment so I would often just walk home. As I got close to my apartment building, I noticed a little kid standing near the entrance. She looked about 3 years old. What immediately felt strange was that she was completely alone. No parents nearby, no one calling for her, nothing.

At first I didn’t think too much about it. Since the area downstairs was always busy, I assumed maybe her mom or dad was in one of the shops nearby and she had wandered a little too far.

I walked into the lobby toward the elevator. The elevator door in this building had a glass panel, so you could still see outside while waiting. The whole time, the little girl just stood there staring directly at me.

Then she smiled.

Not waving. Not playing. Just standing perfectly still smiling at me through the glass while the elevator doors slowly opened.

I remember getting this horrible feeling in my stomach. Something about it felt deeply wrong. I got into the elevator and right before the doors closed, she was still standing in the exact same spot, smiling.

I never saw her again after that.

Honestly, what bothers me the most now isn’t even the creepy feeling. It’s that I never stopped to help or call someone. At the time I convinced myself her parents had to be nearby, but looking back, seeing a 3-year-old alone like that was really strange. Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve done something instead of just walking away.

Maybe it was completely innocent and I was overthinking it because the apartment already creeped me out. But even now, years later, I still think about that moment sometimes.

Hi everyone, I’m still a bit confused about something that happened during a visit to a temple in India and wanted some perspective.

My husband and I went to a temple while travelling. I was wearing a long brown dress with sleeves and full coverage down to my toes, so I believed I was dressed modestly and respectfully.

For context, we are Indian — my parents were born in India and later moved to Australia, so I’ve grown up with Indian culture at home and have visited India before.

I’ve also been to temples in the past wearing more western-style clothing (still modest and appropriate), and I’ve never had any issues before.

When we tried to enter this particular temple, an older woman at the entrance refused to let me in. She was very firm and physically blocked the entrance while trying to stop us from going in. She also pushed me several times while doing so, which felt quite uncomfortable and upsetting.

We eventually managed to enter and once we reached the main area where the deities are, everything changed. The temple priest was very kind and welcoming, and since we are newly married, he even gave me bangles as a blessing, which was a really lovely moment.

What confused me even more is that when we left the temple later, there was no one at the entrance at all and nobody stopped us.

I’m trying to understand if there’s some dress code or cultural rule I may have missed, or if this was just one individual being overly strict at the entrance.

Would really appreciate any insight.

Hi everyone, I’m still a bit confused about something that happened during a visit to a temple in India and wanted some perspective.

My husband and I went to a temple while travelling. I was wearing a long brown dress with sleeves and full coverage down to my toes, so I believed I was dressed modestly and respectfully.

For context, we are Indian — my parents were born in India and later moved to Australia, so I’ve grown up with Indian culture at home and have visited India before.

I’ve also been to temples in the past wearing more western-style clothing (still modest and appropriate), and I’ve never had any issues before.

When we tried to enter this particular temple, an older woman at the entrance refused to let me in. She was very firm and physically blocked the entrance while trying to stop us from going in. She also pushed me several times while doing so, which felt quite uncomfortable and upsetting.

We eventually managed to enter and once we reached the main area where the deities are, everything changed. The temple priest was very kind and welcoming, and since we are newly married, he even gave me bangles as a blessing, which was a really lovely moment.

What confused me even more is that when we left the temple later, there was no one at the entrance at all and nobody stopped us.

I’m trying to understand if there’s some dress code or cultural rule I may have missed, or if this was just one individual being overly strict at the entrance.

Would really appreciate any insight.