Review: CHOP SHOP by Andrew Post

Publisher Flame Tree Press
Length 288 pages
Format ebook

Published 2019

Series standalone
My Copy provided by the publisher

My Review

Chop Shop is a dark and delicious slice of violence embedded with an equally dark sense of humor and complemented by a tantalizing cast of outcasts full of life in the face of death. 

This book is breakneck. The speed at which the macabre escalates is pure entertainment. Rarely does a book grab me in a choke-hold and make me want it to squeeze harder than this quirky story involving mobsters, an unlicensed 'mob' doc, two funeral owners and a whole lot of dismemberment. 

From the outset, Chop Shop promised something special and for me, it 100% delivered. I like dark and violent crime fiction, the sort of stuff you won't see on daytime or even prime time TV - and Chop Shop hit all the high notes; this an after-dark midnight special which will leave you blood splattered and smeared - and maybe a little queasy... 

My rating: 5/5 stars.

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Visit the Flame Tree Press website to learn more about their current and forthcoming books, and while you're there, check out the links of where to purchase a copy of Chop Shop.

Review: RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL by Brian Keene

Publisher Apex Book Company
Length 207 pages
Format ebook

Published 2018

Series Lost Level #2
My Copy provided by the publisher

My Review

The return is just as good as the arrival. 

As with The Lost Level, author Brian Keene has me once again geeking out over the fantastical creatures and dangerous plant life which inhabit this fanboy's delight; an extravagant form of escapism for the escape-driven enthusiast. 

The dangers of The Lost Level are well documented, thanks to the journal-like method used in the original book, yet the element of surprise never fails as action/accidental hero Aaron Pace and co face off against some truly menacing foes. There's one particular scene in which Aaron is forced to fend off a pterodactyl at feeding time which really sticks out thanks to the sheer brutality and edge-of-your-seat action. Then there's the hunt through the Lost Level's ominously dangerous jungle towards the home of the snake-men Anunnaki...wow, I wont' spoil it but man, this book begs to be read.

There's a distinct sci-fi/fantasy/adventure pulp-ish feel to these books which makes them all the more readable; nothing is ever truly what it seems (a triceratops as a pet anyone?) and any element of comic-book imagery could materialise at any moment - and it does for a little extra gravy on top.

My rating: 5/5 stars. As you can tell, I love these books. 

Order a copy online from the publishers website or Amazon, you won't regret it. 

You can read more about Brian Keene HERE

You may also like:

The Lost Level by Brain Keene, the first book to feature our hero Aaron Pace. 

Review: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN by Adam Christopher

Publisher Century
Length 432 pages
Format softcover

Published 2019

Series Stranger Things
My Copy I bought it

My Review

Darkness on the Edge of Town provides some insight into Jim Hopper's life as a New York City detective working homicide before he ended up as chief of police in Hawkins. The storytelling method uses a throwback technique (Christmas eve, Hopper and El sitting around as he recounts a case in 1977) which readers will either like or not; unfortunately it didn't work for me, with the method coming across as little more than a gimmick to link this book to the series proper - otherwise reading as a non-licensed cult/crime fiction story  (unless I missed something major in the book - entirely possible). 

I've always found Hopper an intriguing character with a lot of potential for further exploration and development, particularly from a noir or hard-boiled perspective - and while the second official Stranger Things novel goes some ways to achieving that, it leans heavy towards a more mainstream crime focus with hints of the other worldly thrown in in an attempt to tie it with Netflix series. 

As a crime fiction book, there are some really nice things going on in Darkness on the Edge of Town; the idea of a citywide black-out and a crazed cult engaged in battle in the darkness against a range of wild gangs is pretty cool, as is learning of Hopper's former partner and glimpse into his life post Vietnam. However, none of it felt deep enough to hold the story; when I hit page 300, it felt like things were really just starting to get going, then in 100-odd pages we're done; this is one of the few occasions I can say I would've liked an extra 100+ pages to flesh out the plot elements and provide added depth to the story.

My rating: 3/5 stars. The cover is cool. The book is just okay. 

You may also like:

Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond (the first Stranger Things novel)

World's Turned Upside Down (non-fiction serious companion)