Thank you to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for this copy of Chop Shop.

I read AND listened to the audiobook. This was an excellent read and the audiobook was insanely good.

TRIGGER WARNINGS - Some word associations for this book: graphic, stomach-turning, necrophilia (oh em gee...the voice of the necrophile, Cornelius in the audiobook was super skeevy), mobster/gangster types, shady doctors, parolee, sketchy funeral home, drug addicts, suicide, murder, body parts, black market, blood, dismemberment,

When Cornelius walks in to the funeral home and starts to get excited because he thinks he found a newly deceased body I wanted to throw up. I cannot imagine.

This book was absolutely horrifying at times. I don't freak out / scare easily but this book gave me the chills and made me queasy.....in the most glorious way.

If I am not mistaken, this book takes place over the course of a week....WORST WEEK EVER for EVERYONE.

If you're into horror, gore, thriller type books....it's a wild ride that I highly recommend...maybe just don't read it before or after eating.

I 100% recommend this one. Andrew Post's Chop Shop is delightfully demented.

#chopshop #netgalley

Chop Shop is the first book I have read by this author.

Here, we see Amber Hawthorne and Jolene Morris, who are roommates and business partners at the Hawthorne Funeral Home and drowning in debt.

Because both young women have trouble keeping their partying habits in line, they start selling body parts on the black market to keep their business alive – and their new buyers seem friendly and trustworthy enough at first. That is until the dead gangster they've recently parted up turns out to have been full of disease. Now Amber and Jolene's buyers want something else to make up for lost profits, leaving the two undertakers to learn sometimes running your own business can cost you an arm and a leg. Literally.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 5*
Plot: 4*
Characters: 2*
Uniqueness: 3*

When this showed up on my NG dashboard I knew I had to request it. The premise was a good one. 2 school friends now working in a funeral home fall on hard times. The opportunity for them to make some money is too good to turn down. So they agree to start selling thir patrons body parts on the black market before burying them. Sounds easy enough, but it doesn't quite go to plan.
Its one of those stories where nothing quite goes to plan, bad decisions turn into even worse situations, and you begin to cringe. The writing was very good, the narrative flowed really well, and I flew though it. But the characters were far fetched and not particularly believable. I rated it 3 stars for uniqueness because although I haven't really heard of a book with this particular plot, there are multiple films and shows with this sort of contestant flow of failure. Prison break and Crank are a couple that come to mind. Anyway this was enjoyable enough to get me through a dreary Saturday afternoon.

Boy oh boy does this book have it all. It was a gruesome and gory fun filled ride that had me hooked from the beginning. Amber Hawthorne and Jolene Morris own and run the Hawthorne funeral home. However, things are a mess financially because Amber is too focused on having fun partying and using drugs. Just how is she paying for all of that fun you ask? Well let’s just say the funeral home is not just financing the dead. So one day Amber’s dealer tells her about a lucrative side kick, selling body parts. I think I hear you laughing, but they are serious. Enter Frank Goode, star of the show and former doctor, to deliver their first ahem...customer... This book is full of dark, sleazy, and humorous action that on each page you can sense the desperation of each of them. Honestly, I did not know what to expect but since it is Halloween and I should have done a review on this book last yr this time, I figured it was time to read it and give the author the credit he is due....and he is due a lot. I love this book and will actively seek out more written by him if there are any and if not,,, beg him to write another one. I was so sad when I finished this because I could actually see some of my family members doing the same thing. Don’t we all have someone who is a little screwed up in our life?

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was such a fun read! I enjoyed the darker subject matter of it. The author created a world I could just dive right into.

What a refreshing thrill ride of a book! Usually, when authors try to write in a "hard-boiled" style it comes off very forced and embarrassing. It becomes all about throwing around swear words and casual misogyny. So the first thing I was struck by in this book was how Andrew Post was able to effortlessly pull off a "hard-boiled" style that.felt authentic and natural. Then add on top of that a rollercoaster ride of colorful characters (some likable, some not) making the worst possible decisions at every turn that constantly up the stakes and the action and the blood spilled. (There's lotsa blood!) Also, there is a sly dark humor throughout - another hard thing to pull off: walking that line between hard-boiled action thriller and comedy. Highly recommended.

3.5

Book source ~ NetGalley

The Hawthorne Funeral Home finances are a mess. Why? Because Amber Hawthorne is a worthless crapmonkey who lets her friend Jolene Morris do all the work trying to keep it afloat while Amber parties and drugs it up. Morons, the both of them. So, when Amber’s dealer clues her in on a money making business (a highly illegal one of course) Amber jumps at the chance. Before she can make a decent argument to Jolene why it’s a good business decision, former physician-now-mob-doctor Frank Goode drops their first customer in their lap. Almost literally. They’re in the body part business now, for better or worse. *pssst: it’s worse

Ok, I know this is mostly about Amber and Jolene and how they got mixed up in a black market body parts deal, but the star of the show is Frank. Oh my, Frank. Did you ever see the CSI episode Loco Motives where the guy Max gets himself stuck in cement while disposing of his wife’s dead body? Frank is Max. Except a whole lot of mob is involved and blood. Sweet Baby Jane, this book is bloody. And that ending? Gah! While it’s a fast-paced page turner, it seemed a little too cliché at times for me. However, it is most definitely entertaining.

Holy moly!!! This book was so freaking good and gruesome. That ending was fantastic. I don’t get squeamish or uncomfortable but I did here!

The trouble that all these people get themselves into, I could feel the desperation on the page! I was equal turns commiserating and saying how dumb they were.

I really enjoyed the ride, and will be picking up more from this author!

What a seriously fun, sleazy, action-packed, blood-soaked thriller. I was not expecting much from this book, having never heard of the author, but my expectations were blown away with colorful characters and a one-of-a-kind story. I stayed up late many nights reading with adrenaline pumping.

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy of this dark and enjoyable ride!

Well - this was a stimulating and gory read.
An unusual story, dark and often humorous, about an ex-con former doctor and two young women who run an undertakers - not very well. They are linked together because they are struggling financially and get caught up in a bit of gang warfare. When the ex-doctor unexpectedly finds himself with a dead man in his home, it is suggested that he takes the body to the debt-ridden undertakers as part of an operation selling body parts. Neither the undertakers not the doctor are keen, but they find themselves in particularly sticky situations that force their hand.

For a book with so much blood congealing over carpets and people, the gruesome cutting up of human beings both alive and dead, this story has quite a bit of emotion and I did feel a bit sorry for the doctor's predicament. There are the usual hard-as-nails gun wielding two dimensional characters, but fortunately these are only a few. The story kept me engaged until the very end reminding me of the old horror films of a couple of decades ago. Almost farcical in places but with mystery and tension, this well written novel is a surprisingly great read.

#NetGalley #ChopShop

4 Stars!

I have to admit that I was not sure what to expect when I started Chop Shop by Andrew Post. With its cover photo of a corpse’s feet (with a “$” on the toe tag) and a synopsis that read more like a mystery than the horror that I had been reading from Flame Tree Press, I was still intrigued enough to give it a read and hope for the best.

Frank Goode, recently released from prison, is determined to turn his life around. As a parolee, however, he finds his options limited. While he works at a minimum wage job at a local store to appease the authorities, he also runs a makeshift emergency room out of his house to make some extra cash in the profession he practiced before falling from grace. Amber Hawthorne and Jolene Morris are two friends who are trying, and failing, to make a living at the Hawthorne Funeral Home. Their business is buried in debt and the prospects for the future are bleak. Fate was bound to bring these three together. Fate and the machinations of the mob, that is.

Frank found himself right in the middle of a mob war when one of his patients was killed by the rival mob in his house. He needed to find a way to dispose of the body before the authorities and, more importantly, the deceased’s associate learned of his death. He got a tip from the man who supplied his medical supplies that the owners of the Hawthorne Funeral Home could use the body. It would be a simple drop off. Of course, the same man that gave Frank this tip was the one who had gotten Amber and Jolene started in the business of selling body parts as a side business to save the company. It would, of course, be easy money. Nothing is ever as easy as is promised, however, and they are all about to learn that the path to easy money can sometimes instead lead to death.

Chop Shop sank its teeth into me from the very beginning. Frank instantly became one of those characters that the reader can cheer for even though he may not be the best of people from the start. This makes it easy to slide into the story and quickly become invested in its outcome. Post wastes no time in ramping up the action and the reader feels almost compelled to keep turning the pages to see what is going to happen next. And what happens next is not very often what is expected as Post throws twists and curves throughout the story that keeps the characters (and readers) on their toes. Saying that this story strays from the norm is an understatement at best but it ensures that there is never a dull page.

Chop Shop is not an easy book to define. It is more of a dark and bizarre mystery thriller than a horror novel but it has enough violence and dark themes that it is sure to appeal to most horror fans. There is a large dose of the weird in the novel as well and at times it feels as if it is straying toward the realm of bizarro fiction (although it never quite crosses that boundary). No matter which genre the novel falls in to, the best way to classify this novel is as a fast-paced and entertaining read. Post keeps the action rocketing through the story and the constant twists and turns keep the reader guessing with every turn of the page. This novel is the definition of a page-turner and I found it very difficult to put down even for a moment. With enough characterization to humanize the story (although the only fully-formed character is Frank) and morality questions that arise at every (mostly bad) decision made by the characters, Post gives the reader a novel that entertains and unsettles the reader at the same time. Any fan of mysteries, thrillers, or horror should not hesitate to grab this novel and strap in for a wild ride.

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Chop Shop is available now.

Woah, this book had me squeaaaaaling. I was expecting some gore, but woweeee!

A nicely paced read filled to the bones with gore, dark humour and a pretty strong underlying message.

The book follows three central characters, Frank, Amber and Jolene, with plenty of background and supporting characters throughout. After Frank gets stuck in a pretty sticky situation (pun intended) he makes some pretty crazy decisions that did nothing to deter him from being my favourite character in this book! I wasn't quite so strongly bonded with the girls, I think there was something slightly missing there to make what happened believable towards the end, their relationship kind of felt to toxic and complicated for it, but what do I know. Despite that, and whilst squirming around reading this, I loved where Post took us at the end.

3.5*, rounded to 4.

Triggers: Suicide, Violence, Abortion

Thank you to NetGalley, Flame Tree Press and Andrew Post for a free ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

As a big fan of horror, I was drawn to this cover (and title and premise). However, I DNF'd this title at 50% because I didn't enjoy the characters enough to care what happened to them. For me as a reader, there needs to be at least one character to root for--even if that individual is a villain/antagonist. Unfortunately, I didn't find that here.

I will say that the first half succeeds in achieving "shock value" and that the characters are culturally diverse with authentic sounding dialogue. I can see how this book might appeal to certain readers as it has a "uniqueness to it that is often lacking in new releases. It's certainly not the "cookie-cutter" or "paint-by-number" storytelling with which I, as a reader, have become impatient.

As soon as I saw the cover of this book, it grabbed my attention, after reading the blurb, I was intrigued and knew that I must read it.
The story follows three main characters. Frank a struck off doctor who makes his money patching people up and Amber and Jolene, friends from college who now spend their time running a soon to be a bankrupt funeral home.
As you start this book you alternate between Frank, Amber and Jolene and the more you read, the more you learn about their former lives and the lengths they are going through to survive. Whilst Frank, Amber and Jolene were the stars of the show, each character you meet all have a story to tell. It did not matter which character you were reading about as they were all described in detail. There were some characters that were larger than life and if you watch gangster films you will recognise some of the same characteristics.
Even though the subject matter was dark, the story was broken up with some funny moments and if you like dark humour than this is a book for you. One scene I found the funny side to involved Cornelius and Jolene in the funeral home. Just as I thought I knew where the story was going the author added a scene that completely threw me. As I wanted to find out what would happen to Frank I could not put this book down and as there was always something going on, it made this story a quick read.
This is the first book I have read by this author but it will not be the last. If you are looking for a unique horror story than give this book a read.

This book is gruesome and gross and uncomfortable at times. It starts with an illegal back alley abortion which is nowhere near the worst part of the story. I thought from the description that it sounded fun and interesting, and it was certainly interesting, but fun? Hmm... I'm not sure how much fun I had reading this....

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I admit that I actually quite enjoyed this book in a strange kind of way. It was well written, had a unique story-line, surprising ending and great characters although some of them are not particularly likeable. There is ample dark humour which offsets the tension perfectly and although it does seem to be a bit OTT in parts, it does work well in this book however, I have to say that, in my opinion, the wrong person died at the end!!

Please be aware that this is not a politically correct book and there is a lot of violence and blood however, the title and description should have given this away so this shouldn't come as too much of a shock.

I haven't read anything by this author before but I am likely to pick up another of his works in the future.

Thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and for, once again, introducing me to another new author to look out for.

After several attempts to read this novel, I have decided to DNF it. I usually enjoy very dark/intense books, but the vulgar aspects of this book just rubbed me the wrong way. I realize it is intended to be a black comedy but I strongly disliked it. I usually prefer to quietly dnf books but since I have a physical copy of this one, I will follow up with my contacts at Flametree to find out if they would prefer I discuss it in my videos.

"Chop Shop" by Andrew Post.

I loved it! I didn't expect it to be funny but it was really entertaining and I enjoyed it!
I was into it from the start!
A well written crime thriller full of suspense that is also funny! Well developed story and interesting characters.

Warning : graphic at times.

I must say the title is really well chosen as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I first started reading "Chop Shop," I had no idea what was waiting for me. What I discovered was fast-paced thriller that leaves the reader little time to breath before the next big thing happens.

Frank Goode runs an emergency room for questionable characters from his dining room after losing his medical license and going to prison for his illegal activities in a Minnesota clinic. One night Frank helps a young lady associated with a local crime organization, and has no idea how much he'll come to regret that decision. Along the way Frank receives help from Ted, a childhood friend who also may be in over his head and best friends, Amber and Jolene, who run the local funeral home. Before long, Amber and Jolene are mixed up in selling red-market body parts and Frank ends up being the one client they may wish had never knocked on their door.

I actually found the characters in "Chop Shop" pretty likable despite their lack of morality. Post did a wonderful job making them highly flawed, but despite their flaws, I never felt the three of them were irredeemable. Jolene and Amber went to college together and I believe their friendship is one of the biggest strengths in the whole novel. Although down on their luck and cutting up a dead mobster in their basement, I was still cheering for them to come out on top. So while "Chop Shop" is full of action, I actually think I enjoyed getting to know the characters more.

Now speaking of action, there is a ton of it within this novel's pages. Two Minnesota crime families are at war and the causalities are high. This book is not for the squeamish. But it is for people who enjoy mobster movies and classics such as "Scarface" and "Goodfellows." I have a soft spot for mobster movies which is perhaps one reason why this book was such a good fit for me. "Chop Shop" is classified as horror but there is nothing supernatural here. Post paints of vivid and mesmerizing picture of the most horrific thing out there - humans.

Thank you to Netgalley & Flame Tree Press for providing me with an e-ARC of Chop Shop by Andrew Post in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warning: Abortion, Homophobic & Racist Slurs, Suicide.

Not to be dramatic, but I never wanted Chop Shop by Andrew Post to end. I laughed & stayed on the edge of my seat throughout the 200 & so pages of this Mafia-goodness. Chop Shop was such a fun & fast-paced adventure & I officially want more of whatever Andrew Post has to offer.

Chop Shop tells two stories; both interlacing as the story develops. Frank Goode, ex-prisoner & ex-doctor, runs an illegal medical practice in his house. It doesn’t take long for him to get caught in the middle of a Mafia war. & then there’s two friends that work at a funeral home, Jolene & Amber. Their business is going under & they’d do just about anything for funds.

I’m still shook by the savagery displayed by the colorful cast of characters in Chop Shop. Like, wow, note to self: never piss off a gangster. All jokes aside, Andrew Post perfectly created an array of characters; all of which adds more umph to Chop Shop.

& there’s even fantastic character development! All three of the protagonists (Frank, Amber & Jolene) go through hell & their growth definitely shines through in the end. None of these characters are who they were when they started. I also found it as an interesting character-study, as Chop Shop shows what lengths people would go to in order to gain funds (or, in Frank’s case — not go back to prison & keep his family safe).

As much as I loved this book, it’s not something I would recommend to just anybody. Personally, I’m a Mess. I like messed-up things & I find humor in the dumbest shit. Chop Shop really matched my sense of humor. I laughed a lot & even told my dad all about this book (which led to both of us laughing a lot). Plus, it had the perfect amount of blood, violence & what the hell is going on?