Customer Reviews

Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) (Andrew Mayhem Thriller)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A week after a misguided stint as an amateur (unlicensed) private investigator (videotaping an adulterous couple in the act) doesn't work out, Andrew Mayhem, who is in immediate financial need dut to some bad decisions, finds himself about to make another one. The price: $20,000. The job: To simply retrieve a key. No big deal, right? Well, this key is a little hard to access -- someone else has it, and he's buried in a pine box in a shallow grave in the park.

What happens with the key search sends Andrew off on another unexpected investigation as he and his best friend, Roger, try to find out who was really behind everything. Their search takes them to the home-made horror film experts at Ghoulish Delights and puts Andrew squarely in the clutches of The Apparition in his search for "the killer."

This is no ordinary killer, but one who has a maliciously creative streak, leaving mysterious presents on the hood of Andrew's car, and sending Andrew all over town on a scavenger hunt, with each clue telling him what to do next. Meanwhile, Andrew (who tries to be a good husband and father in spite of his ineptitude at most other things), is also trying to take care of his two children while his wife recovers from a broken leg in the hospital. Could life get any more difficult for a guy who's just trying to make ends meet without having to get a real job?

Author Jeff Strand is perhaps best known for his skill at balancing humorous and horrific elements in one tale (although his novel Pressure, with its high-intensity mainstream-thriller plot and characters, may change that for good if it gets the audience it deserves). Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) is part of the reason for that reputation, and it showcases his rare talent wonderfully. [For more examples of his peculiar ability, also look for the short-story chapbooks Two Twisted Nuts (with Nick Cato) and Socially Awkward Moments with an Aspiring Lunatic.]

Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) is a pure joy of a novel. I finished it in a day and a half. Although Andrew has little confidence in his own abilities ("I suck as a detective" is his mantra), he has a terrific sense of humor about it all. The consistent thread of sarcasm is what carried me so quickly through the book's 200 pages. Every character seems to be a smartass, Andrew's daughter Theresa perhaps most of all.

There is a chuckle on every page of Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), even the pages that will turn your stomach with their gruesome descriptions, making Strand the Terry Pratchett of horror (call it "humorror" -- or don't). Strand is not only funny but obviously very intelligent. (How intelligent? He even manages to slip in a sideways reference to his children's book, Elrod McBugle on the Loose. How's that for cross-merchandising in narrative form?)

I loved every page of Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary). I was always surprised by the plot's twists and turns, could never predict where Strand's narrative was going to take me next, and was a willing participant the whole way. (Just to let you know what kind of sick freak I am, my favorite part was the puppet show.) I assumed that the momentum would eventually die out, but was pleasantly surprised that it never did; Even when things got a little on the improbable side near the end, it was all just part of the fun. In fact, there was enough leftover momentum to carry me right to the bookshelf and the second novel in the series, Single White Psychopath Seeks Same.

Tired of the unrelentingly grim heroes of dark suspense? Bored with tough-talking macho PI types? Need a good laugh in a book about dead bodies, torture, murder, and worse? Then read Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), which deftly manages to juggle some truly gut-wrenching situations with laugh-out-loud funny stuff.

Pretty much proving why you should never take graverobbing jobs from strangers you meet in coffee shops, Graverobbers Wanted is an excellent read. It's not the first to equally combine comedy and horror but it may be the best at it. It seamlessly transitions between hilarity and terror, sometimes in the space of a paragraph. The protagonist, Andrew Mayhem, is written so well that even when he's making the wrong choices -- and he almost always does -- you still want to root for him. Strand's real strength is in his dialogue, which is a delight to read. Graverobbers Wanted: No Experience Necessary is a great choice for those looking for something with a bit of a bite to it.

This is one of those books that captures your attention from the very beginning and holds it until the end. I highly recommend this book .... especially if you're a Stephen King or Dean Kontz fan. Once you read Graverobbers, Jeff Strand will surely rise to the top of your list of favorite horror mystery authors.

I had so much fun reading this book. The main character, Andrew Mayham, is someone I'd like to be friends with, not his best friend who he gets into trouble, but a friend. This book had me reading quotes to my friends just to share the laughter. I didn't read them the horrorific parts. They need to read those in all their stellar details and in context to get the full effect. This book is worth every penny and I'm sure to read it again. I also think it would make a great movie.

Sick... but in a good way! I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud, but there's plenty of tension and gross-out moments along with the one-liners.

Bottom line: if you like Ed Lee, Herschel Gordon Lewis, MST3K, Jack Ketchum, the Evil Dead series, Dave Barry, or the flicks Peter Jackson made prior to Heavenly Creatures, then you'll love this book. It's dark fiction by a guy who appreciates and understands the genre.

I really dug it.

Graverobbers so amazed me when I first read it, I read it twice more over three days. It is the best example of my favorite genre, humorous horror, that I've ever found in print or on screen. The story is silly, yet the realistic dialogue and reactions of the characters to the various horrifyingly absurd situations which arise really bring it home and make it work. Follow likeable loser Andrew Mayhem and his equally bland, yet charming buddy, Roger, as they seek the clues behind an insidious snuff-film business so they can stop the murders of many more innocent victims before they themselves lose their own lives or limbs or beauty--it pretty much all gets threatened here. Strand tells stories at a fast and funny rollercoaster pace with an equal number of squeals of terror and delight. Highly recommended!

Strand's first novel in the Andrew Mayhew series, in my opinion, is a pure gem of dark and grotesque humor at it's best. The novel ranges from incredibly dark to incredibly hilarious all at the same time.

Andrew Mayhem is a slacker to the millionth degree so when a mysterious stranger offers him $20,000 to procure a key (that just happens to be hidden in her decreased husband's grave) he agrees despite the ethical and legal quandaries it presents. Unfortunately the husband isn't completely dead and what he hoped was one evening of manual labor turns into a twisted game with a unknown killer, one with a sick, twisted, and "funny" streak of his own. Soon Andrew is receiving clues that leads him on a scavenger hunt around town. To complicated matters further his list of available babysitters keeps dwindling and he is forced to bring his children along.

This book is perfect for a quick read and if you want a good laugh mixed in with your gore and disturbing imagery this book is for you. The main character, Andrew Mayhem, doesn't always make the right decisions, but you still root for him anyways.

Where the book may lack in believability it makes up in it's dialogue and snappy repartee. His writing reminds me a lot of J.A. Konrath but with a bit more sarcasm tossed in.

The humor is dry. I found it very amusing, but I never laughed out loud. The violence is, well, violent. The descriptions never sickened me. The combination turned out to be greater than the sum of the two parts. I enjoyed the story very much.

Anyone that loves horror is used to ignoring plot holes. There are plenty, especially at the end. The characters, plot devices, and originality make up for the faults. If you have a Kindle, buy it.

If the words Andrew Mayhem don't make you automatically pick up the book and start reading, they will after you finish Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary.) It is impossible to read this story and not become completely enthralled with the Mayhem character.

By the author of the wildly popular Pressure, Dweller, and Benjamin's Parasite, Graverobbers Wanted demonstrated early on that Jeff Strand is a master storyteller. Dark and humorous, this mystery-action-thriller will hold you until the last page, and leave you still wanting more.

And thankfully, there is more! Further Andrew Mayhem adventures can be found in:

Single White Psychopath Seeks Same

Casket for Sale (Only Used Once)

Suckers (with J A Konrath)

No matter how many smash hits Jeff gives us, Graverobbers Wanted will always hold a special place, being my introduction to the author's twisted genius. I can only hope we one day see the often promised further adventures of Andrew Mayhem.