Five Dollar Wrench

By H. E. Tobe

The First Five Chapters

Old school, I said.

Always film. Never digital.

That's how it's done.

— The Ghost

Here are the first five chapters of Five Dollar Wrench, The True Confession of a Bitcoin Thief.

Actually, I'll share a few scenes from chapter six, too. That seems like a better place to pause.

Everything is linked below, scene by scene, to make it easier to read, bookmark, and continue later. The average scene would be roughly 3 to 7 pages in a printed book.

I've been told the novel is a darkly comic crime thriller. Perhaps. I think of it as literary fiction, because it's more about the criminal than the crimes.

This is the current draft, which is nearing completion. I'm mostly polishing and tidying things up at this point.

I plan on publishing the novel in early 2026.

— H. E.



01: Title

02: Dedication

03: Notice


04: This Is My Confession


05: Chapter One

06: A Mother's Daughter

07: An Uncle's Greatest Trick

08: How To Grow Up Wrong

09: The First, Premeditated

10: Hot Potato Heads West

11: Mary Jane's Little Boy

12: The Young Old Lady

13: The Chicago Plate


14: Chapter Two

15: The Boxtan Inn

16: The Shady Lady

17: The French Swap

18: The Allegory

19: Oh Larry, Oh Linda

20: Some Guys Don't Need Names


21: Chapter Three

22: Steve Gets Steved

23: The Bitter End

24: G.N.P.

25: RUN

26: Fury And Fate


27: Chapter Four

28: Meet Destiny

29: Dez And The B

30: Hell In The Safe

31: Hello Satoshi

32: Hello Thuthie


33: Chapter Five

34: Mister Foke

35: Return To Reggie

36: A Picture For Paula

37: Stanley And The Jimmies

38: I Cant't Do It Alone

39: Dear World

40: Dear Reader


41: Chapter Six

42: The Ghost

43: The Girl

44: The Words


The rest is coming soon!

Chapter Six, Continued:

45: The Looks

46: The House

47: The Analyst

48: The Birth Certificate

49: The New Hampshire Quarter


50: Chapter Seven

51: A Hot Tub And A Speedex

52: A Movie And A Bracelet

53: Applesauce

54: Grapes On The Vine

55: Doin' A Jahb

56: Giving A Wrench

57: The Boating Accident

58: Lost Words And An Old Rule

59: Elliott, Éclairs, And The Ocean


60: Chapter Eight

61: War And Peace

62: The Boogie Man

63: The Mess

64: Buckle Under Pressure

65: Effard And Effort

66: Claire's Questions

67: A Shell Of A Former Self

68: The Keys To Happiness

69: Noah's Stark Reality


70: Chapter Nine

71: A Few Bad Women

72: New Rules

73: Finding A Lifter

74: Comeuppance

75: To Keep You Honest

76: The Test Run

77: For Future Reference

78: Heads Or Tails

79: The Hot Tub Goes Cold


80: Chapter Ten

81: A Real Go-Getter

82: Mapping Miami

83: Checking In

84: Block Party

85: To Not See In Austin

86: Checking Out

87: Pool Party

88: S.H.E. In L.A.

89: Sorry, Jojo


90: Chapter Eleven

91: The Smoker

92: Voicemail

93: Speakerphone

94: The Kiss

95: The Creamer

96: Not Mike

97: Sofia

98: Freedom

99: Collect


100: Chapter Twelve

101: The Cave

102: The Joke

103: The Story You Tell

104: The First And Second


105: Postscript

106: About The Novel

107: About The Author