Two Dollar Bill

The story feels rooted in a specific atmosphere that adds to the suspense. I'm curious whether the setting was based on real locations or purely imagined.

I felt the tension dipped for a bit around the midpoint, but then the story regained momentum. Was that intentional to build suspense?

The characters' personal stakes seemed to drive some of the biggest surprises. I wonder if the author planned these motivations from the start or developed them as writing progressed.