UF Review: Dead Mann Running: A Hessius Mann Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Dead Mann Running" the 2nd book in his Hessius Mann series by Stefan Petrucha.

Product Description

Just because a bullet has your name on it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t duck …

Either I’m stubborn, or it’s rigor mortis, but being dead didn’t stop me from being a detective or finding my wife’s killer. But it’s tough out there for a zombie, and lately it’s been getting tougher. These days the life-challenged have to register and take monthly tests to prove our emotional stability. See, if my kind gets too low, we go feral. I’ve been feeling a little down lately myself …

So when a severed arm — yeah, just the arm — leaves a mysterious briefcase at my office, my assistant, Misty, thinks figuring out where it came from will keep me on track. But this case goes deeper and darker than I imagined, and my imagination gets pretty dark. Turns out the people after it know more about my past life than I can remember, and even more about what I’ve become.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Roc; Original edition (September 4, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451464745
ISBN-13: 978-0451464743

My Review:

Hessius Mann was executed for the murder of his wife but after the his death DNA testing proved his innocence.   Hessius was brought back to life as a Chak (a form of zombie) using the Radical Invigoration Procedure (RIP) and is tested every month to ensure he hasn't turned feral.  The sides effects are enormous because his memory with his IQ are gone, his bones break easily and he has severe dry skin which no lotion will help.

One day a live human hand along with it's fingers knocks on Hessius's door to deliver a briefcase.  It leaves the case and then jumps through the window.  Misty Hessius's office manager arrives and informs him he should investigate why the arm left a case with two vials of blue liquid and who it belongs too.  During their investigation they are chased by adversaries.

I highly recommend this series if you enjoy urban fantasy page turning with tons of eye-dropping twists and turns.  


4/5

Books in series:

1.  Dead Mann Walking
2.  Dead Mann Running

Thanks Stefan for sending me your book to review, greatly appreciated!

YA Review: Ripper [Hardcover]

I've finished "Ripper" by Stefan Petrucha.

Product Description

You thought you knew him. You were dead wrong.

Carver Young dreams of becoming a detective, despite growing up in an orphanage with only crime novels to encourage him. But when he is adopted by Detective Hawking of the world famous Pinkerton Agency, Carver is given not only the chance to find his biological father, he finds himself smack in the middle of a real life investigation: tracking down a vicious serial killer who has thrown New York City into utter panic. When the case begins to unfold, however, it's worse than he could have ever imagined, and his loyalty to Mr. Hawking and the Pinkertons comes into question. As the body count rises and the investigation becomes dire, Carver must decide where his true loyalty lies. Full of whip-smart dialogue, kid-friendly gadgets, and featuring a then New York City Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt, Ripper challenges everything you thought you knew about the world's most famous serial killer.

About the Author 

Stefan Petrucha (petrucha.com) lives in Western Massachusetts, with his wife and daughters.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Philomel (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399255249
ISBN-13: 978-0399255243

My Review:

I just had to read this book because I really stories about Jack the Ripper and a kid trying to solve one of the unsolved mysteries of the time.  Also I really enjoy reading stories about the Pinkerton Agency.

Carver Young is an orphan and really wants to become a detective (he's always reading and getting into mischief) and he has some traits already (he's always breaking into the owner's office).

He is adopted by Detective Hawkings of the Pinkerton Agency which gives him the chance to find his real father and he's thrown into a real life investigation to track down a viscious serial killer who has thrown New York into a panic.  As the body count rises Carver is forced to choose where his loyalty lies.

I highly recommend this book if you love a thrilling and exciting story with smart dialogue, kid friendly amazing gadgets and challenges everything you knew about the world's famous serial killer.

I hope the author writes a sequel to this book!

5/5

Thanks Penguin Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

 

UF Review: Dead Mann Walking: A Hessius Mann Novel [Paperback]

I've finished "Dead Mann Walking" the 1st book in his Hessius Mann series by Stefan Petrucha.

Product Description

After Hessius Mann was convicted of his wife's murder, suppressed evidence came to light and the verdict was overturned - too bad he was already executed. But thanks to the miracles of modern science Hessius was brought back to life. Sort of.

Now that he's joined the ranks of Fort Hammer's pulse-challenged population, Hessius attempts to make a "living" as a private investigator. But when a missing persons case leads to a few zombies cut to pieces, Hessius starts thinking that someone's giving him the run - around - and it's not like he's in any condition to make a quick getaway ...

Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Roc; Original edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451464214
ISBN-13: 978-0451464217


My Review:

Hessius is a PI and former cop who was wrongfully accused of killing his wife and executed.  He is brought back to life but he has memory problems.  He has a human assistant (Liveblood) Misty who patches him up when he's hurt and takes care of his daily needs.  He's hired to find a missing person so he travels to the Badland with his client to a factory which now house a large number of Chaks.  There is a rumor the man they are looking for is living there. Also a serial killer is killing Chaks by mutilating them and keeping their heads as trophies.

The zombies aren't your typical ones with a group that can function like a human while others are on the brink of being feral and others are feral.

I highly recommend this book if you like dark and gritty noir novels with horror elements and a very likeable and witty zombie PI.  If you don't have a strong stomach I advise you not to read this book when you are eating since it can be quite descriptive.

4/5

Thanks Stefan and Simon and Schuster for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Blood Prophecy [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Blood Prophecy" by Stefan Petrucha.

Product Description

Man and monster are in his blood. . .

His name is Jeremiah Fall. A soldier of fortune, he has been fighting his own war for 150 years -- ever since the beast in him was born.

Desperate to restore his lost humanity, Fall crosses the sands of Egypt, discovers a lost city off the coast of France, and finally arrives at the birthplace of all mankind. Shunning daylight and feeding only when he must, he battles the monster who transformed him forever. He can share his deepest secret with no one . . . not even the beautiful woman he starts to love, the only human who grasps the mysteries of an ebony stone as old as creation itself.

Across the world, across time, Fall seeks the stone's secret. But has he found a cure for himself or unleashed a final curse on all mankind?

About the Author

Born in the Bronx, Stefan Petrucha spent his formative years moving between the big city and the suburbs, both of which made him prefer escapism.

A fan of comic books, science fiction and horror since learning to read, in high school and college he added a love for all sorts of literary work, eventually learning that the very best fiction always brings you back to reality, so, really, there's no way out.

He first came to prominence as the author of the best-selling X-Files comic book series, based on the TV show and has since written eighteen novels including Timetripper, The Shadow of Frankenstein, and The Rule of Won. His recent work includes, Paranormal State: My Journey Into the Unknown (co-authored with A&E star Ryan Buell), Split, Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid, and the upcoming Dead Mann Walking. He currently lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife and fellow writer Sarah Kinney and their two daughters.
 
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (November 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446555991
ISBN-13: 978-0446555999

My Review:
 
I really enjoyed reading this book because of the non typical vampire hero and the history!
 
As Jeremiah was tending the farming and digging up the ground to get their soil ready before the winter came.  Once the monster was uncovered it attacked Jeremiah father killing him and draining his blood.  Jeremiah managed to fend off the monster before it killed him and his grandfather.  His dad returned from the dead and killed his mother and attacked Jeremiah into a vampire.
 
After decades he travels to Egypt where finds an artifact that will restore him to humanity.  He gets involved in wars and finds the monster which started this all.  He finds out later that the stone isn't his salvation but contains a greater evil than anyone can imagine. Now he must stay alive and stop the monster once and for all before he puts his plan into action.
 
Jeremiah is a smart, determined, couragious and a man you would like to bring home to meet your parents!
 
3/5
 
Thanks Stefan for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!