Customer Reviews

Casket For Sale (Only Used Once)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this without having first read any of the previous books in the series and particularly liked the fact that the author didn't bore me to death with back story and managed to allude to his past adventures in a snidely funny way.

This was one wacky book. Something about the writing reminded me of Joe Landsale who also successfully mixes humor and atrocity. I had been warned that this book wasn't quite as disturbing as the previous books so I was quite shocked at some of the violent turns this book took! I can only imagine what happened in the previous books and now I have to find them ;)

As I was reading, I could almost see the writer with a mad smile on his face, gleefully rubbing his hands together, while he plotted one over-the-top scene after another. I enjoyed this book a lot even when I thought some of the plot turns were quite ridiculous.

Andrew Mayhem has had trouble finding a steady job. Let's face it, with Andrew's track record of killing people (in self defense, of course) getting hired is not easy. And anyone in close proximity to Andrew always ends up having his awful luck spill over onto him. But Andrew is really trying to be a responsible adult. He has two kids and a pregnant wife to consider. So no more accepting jobs in a bar from beautiful women offering him lots of money or jobs that pays big money for one night of work. Things are looking up for Andrew.

His best friend, Roger Tanglen, seems to be having better luck too. Roger now has a gorgeous blond girlfriend named Samantha. Andrew cannot help but feel threatened by Samantha though. Andrew was in short supply of friends and he feared Samantha might take Roger away. So Helen, Andrew's wife, decides they all need take a vacation for a short while.

Andrew rents a camper (pays extra for insurance too since he is now being responsible) and they all take off for Wreitzer Park. Someone suggests a short cut, but Andrew's luck has proven bad when it comes to short cuts. Therefore, Andrew refuses to stray from the map. So that is how they end up trapped in the woods by crazy people wanting to take them to a mad scientist's lab. Andrew's luck remains constant.

***** I have often been quoted as saying that this author, Jeff Strand, is one sick puppy. Well, I now stand corrected. Jeff Strand is NOT one sick puppy. Jeff Strand is one totally insane, foaming at the mouth, rabid demon. And yes, you may quote me on that too. This is the third book featuring Andrew Mayhem and his rotten luck. If you do not like your horror involving children and innocents being killed and/or tortured, do NOT read this. If you like your horror to be at its worst, but with some laughter thrown in, then this is the book for you! There were parts that had me laughing aloud and there were parts where I wondered if I really wanted to continue reading. Sound like a book for you? Then snatch up this book as soon as you can. Highly recommended for totally sick people. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Andrew Mayhem seems to have learned his lesson. He has stopped taking money from strange women in coffee shops to do vague odd jobs, has resolved to be more responsible, and has even gotten a (gasp!) real job. After the adventures chronicled in his previous two books (Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) and Single White Psychopath Seeks Same), a vacation is in order, but he just cannot seem to stay out of trouble. That is unlucky for him, but lucky for us, because Jeff Strand's Casket for Sale (Only Used Once) is another terrific blend of humor and horror.

This time the trouble is not really Andrew's fault, however. With his wife Helen, and their two children Kyle and Theresa, along with Andrew's friend Roger and his new girlfriend Samantha (who Andrew despises, though he doesn't know why) along, he made sure the camper's gas tank was full, and he even heeded the mysterious warning from the old man at the "Last Chance 4 Gas" station ("I want to check the expiration date on their beef jerky," Roger quips. "I'm guessing late eighties.") that Wreitzer Park (their chosen destination) is full of "bad, dangerous, and deadly elements."

After some argument that perhaps Andrew is being too responsible, they decide to turn back the way they came, but after about two miles, their passage is hindered by a green truck parked in the middle of the road. Soon after discovering that the truck does not intend to move, and that Andrew is going to have to drive the camper backwards until they get to another turnaround point, they are blocked at the rear by another green truck.

Looks like those bad, dangerous, and deadly elements weren't at Wreitzer Park, after all. It is just as they find out that the denizens of these oddly similar vehicles are named Ghoul, Troll, Goblin, Ogre, and Witch, that Andrew realizes that he has, despite his best efforts to the contrary, gotten his loved ones mixed up in yet another misadventure, one that will cause him to experience paralysis, limb loss, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a cyborg!

Echoing the choice to show Roger's side of the events chronicled in Single White Psychopath Seeks Same, Helen gets her turn at the keyboard in Casket for Sale (Only Used Once), and it is much more successful this time around. Helen is the most fascinating discovery in this novel; her turns in the previous chronicles consisted primarily of responses to Andrew's ineptitude, but here she comes to full flower, as the newly pregnant mother is forced to protect her children from a high-class killer dressed in red and named Medusa somewhere in the wilds of Georgia.

Casket for Sale (Only Used Once) offers the most intense time I have had reading a novel in years -- and I didn't think it could get more intense than some of the scenes in Single White Psychopath Seeks Same! If it weren't for the consistent thread of humor that runs throughout, and often helps to break the tension, that intensity would, I think, have been overwhelming. From the myriad scenes of torture to a mind-boggling drug experience involving a near filicide to an escape from a moving truck filled with modified corpses (a true white-knuckler!), Strand has let it all hang out in this final (say it ain't so!) appearance from Andrew Mayhem.

Now before we even get started I want to make something crystal clear, even though there is comedy throughout the book it never overshadows and takes over the story. What's that mean in layman's terms? This isn't a beach book that only requires a quarter of your attention with the option to skim. This story involves you, sucking you in page-by-page until your heart's racing right along with the characters. And yes, Strand is aware of the hurdles that must be jumped in order to create something unique, but don't worry he came prepared. Been-there-done-that situations are acknowledged, stereotypes are noted, and the setting is welcomed - then all are thrown out the door without even a pat or kiss.

Kicking off with intrigue, the pace picks up speed as you delve deeper into Mayhem's world and never loosens its vise until the end. I promise that by the time you close the book, the momentum that was created and sustained throughout will leave you breathless with beads of sweat dripping down your face. The setting is detailed, but not overwhelming. The location is random. It can be any back-road, in any town, and that is what makes it memorable. Between the eerie atmosphere and the scent of perspiration mixed with blood, Strand manages to evoke pure desperation.

With gallant honesty and tense prose, Strand's style of writing is easy to read, but very intense. He keeps it simple without dumbing it down. With nothing to prove or preach about, he pens his tale for entertainment for both you and himself. Yes, I actually do think this is one author who laughs out loud when he reads over the banter and sarcastic remarks during editing. You can tell he had fun writing this, and that is just as important as the story itself. Taking a somewhat conventional story in which focuses more on the characters and less on the actions, he exposes what would happen in reality. Bringing forth characters that while are not always brave or admirable, are true. Mayhem's life may constantly be filled with danger and adventure, but it's the bond between all the characters that truly makes this story. Their interaction with both each other and the group of adversaries is what endears you to them. They elicit sympathy and respect, friendship and affection.

My only complaint - I must now abuse my credit cards in order to get everything and anything Jeff Strand has ever written! I suggest you do the same.

Unfortunately, Andrew Mayhem is starting to suffer a bit from the constant strain of franchise one-upmanship. I bought all three Mayhem books on Kindle in a single afternoon because I loved Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), which was of course overblown but funny and freakish. The problem is that as the series has gone on, Mayhem's adventures have gotten more than a little ridiculous, and Casket for Sale is undoubtably the worst of the bunch. If Graverobbers was the surprise summer smash-hit blockbusters, Casket is the Sci-Fi channel knock-off movie that feels like it was made to cash in on the popularity of the former.

There is literally nothing believable about the situation or any of the characters here, protagonists and antagonists alike. When I wasn't bored, I was frankly stunned at how over-the-top stupid the scenario in the book was. While there were a few amusing moments, it fails to capture the easy, likable narration of its predecessors and instead piles on the gore with a sort of human/mechanical chop-shop and a MASSIVE amount of plot holes and threads that never get resolved. I understand the appeal of Mayhem books is that they're wild and wacky and gruesome, but this was about as engaging and genuine as a piece of fifth-grade horror movie fan-fiction.

I was SO disappointed by this one. It's so short that it needed a condensed, cohesive plot to carry itself through, and instead it just drags on and on with constant catch/chase sequences and unbelievable violence that is so outlandish it isn't scary, it's just ridiculous. Worse still, a bit plot point is Mayhem's completely unwarranted dislike of his best friend's new girlfriend (which gets resolved as predictably as you'd imagine), and it really paints him in an unpleasant light. I didn't like him much after reading this, and I definitely didn't warm up to his wife; several chapters are narrated from her point of view, and she's about as emotional and engaging as a robot... even when the situations she's in should be tense and scary, her boring, uninteresting delivery renders them snore-worthy.

Believe me, nobody is more disappointed by this bad review that I was. I thought I'd found a new favourite author and read the entire trilogy in one afternoon. Not so, I'm afraid.

After the events in Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) and Single White Psychopath Seeks Same Andrew Mayhem has made a promise to himself and his wife. He will become a new man. He will get a new job, he will not take money from strangers in a coffee shop in exchange for doing strange tasks. He will do whatever he can do to avoid danger.

Of course Andrew has no such luck and he finds himself and his family being pursued through a booby-trapped forest. The novel follows Andrew as he tried to keep him family intact and his body parts attached. Thankfully Andrew's bad luck is good for us because Casket For Sale (Only used once). Once again brings the humor and the horror to its reader.

Out of the three Andrew Mayhem novels this is probably my least favorite because the plot just gets more and more ridiculous (and considering his other plots you can imagine how ridiculous Casket for Sale (Only used Once) gets. However, despite it's insane unbelievability factor the novel is still a funny and grotesque read. From corpses modified to be robot killing machines to Filicide, this novel has a bit of everything.

The third book in the Andrew Mayhem series, and the most twisted of the bunch!

This time Andrew sets out on a simple camping trip with his family and best friend Roger. But when you are Mayhem, nothing is ever simple.

Grab a copy of this along with his first two adventures, "Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary)" and "Single White Psychopath Seeks Same," and settle in for a weekend of dark and humorous non-stop thrills!

Being this was my first Kindle book I was very excited to read it. Thanks to the Kindle's beautiful ability to make print larger and easier on my eyes I mowed through this book in one sitting. This is my first Andrew Mayham novel. This guy is funny. He's got a line for everything. In this story, his family and best friend and girlfriend have rented a RV and are going camping. But after a warning from a creepy store keeper on the way to the campground they decide to find somewhere else to camp. That won't happen. Instead they encounter a group of psychos determined to kill them all. When things start to get rough for the bad guys they call a truce, that is until the head honcho arrives. Soon the gore and horror will really begin. The rest of the book is an edge of the seat thrill with chapters shifting from Helen's view to Andrew's view. It was an excellent book. I enjoyed Andrew's wit more than anything. I recommend this book to all; you'll laugh out loud and be shocked at the same time.

As this author and these books were new to me and I was somewhat skeptical whether I would find them to my liking, but this is one of 3 of Jeff Strand's "Andrew Mayhem" books I've read so far and I have to say I've thoroughly enjoyed them all. The books are very well written, the main character is unique (a bumbling but likable and capable everyman), and the plots are intriquing. Be warned that Mayhem encounters (unintentionally)some VERY unsavory characters and Strand pulls no punches in describing the horrific things they do. In other words, the books deal with some grim situations in a fairly graphic way and innocent people can end up dying horribly. This is not done gratuitously but serves primarily to depict the level of evil Mayhem has to deal with. Amazingly enough, the books are written with a light and humorous touch with Mayhem having a skewed outlook sustained by a lot of false bravado who believes deeply in doing the right thing no matter how dangerous it may be to him personally. He doesn't look for trouble, but it seems to find him on a regular basis, and once he's in the middle of it he does what he must to stop the bad guys and save whomever he can.

Andrew Mayhem is back, and in this book he is responsible. And still getting in trouble. This is yet another phenomenal book by Jeff Strand. The action starts on page one, and doesn't let up for the entire 159 pages. I'm amazed in every book I read by Strand at the range of emotions he can draw out of me. At points I'm laughing out loud, and then I'm on the verge of tears. I hope that we see this cast of characters again in another Andrew Mayhem thriller.