I didn't finish this one - it jumped too much all over the place in setting up the scene. Even with notes, I couldn't focus on what was relevant to the story line and what wasn't.

Movie making on a budget leads to murders. A front row seat of what a headache it must be to make a film on a shoestring. Enjoyed the characters and found it to be a fun read albeit a bit gory towards the end. Liked it well enough to see if he had other books. Alas, he chose to do a trilogy and at $3.99 a pop for about 175 pages each....think I'll pass. Do check out his trilogy though as others may decide it's worth it.
I was provided this book from #NetGalley without compensation for an honest review

Bottom Feeders was a solid 2 1/2 star thriller with such an interesting concept that lacked in plot development and complexity. Set in the low-budget movie industry, the cast and crew are set upon by a ruthless hunter that starts off picking off them one by one, but ends up turning into a shoot-out where no one was safe.

I’ll talk about the positives first. I liked the setting and once I got to know the characters, I actually started to like them too. Eddie and Shiela get the most time and development and while they are definitley flawed (one is an alcoholic and the other emotionally vulnerable) they are likeable and had a good dynamic in the few scenes they shared. The supporting cast (see what I did there) didn’t get too much time to be introduced but as each one was shot down I felt like their deaths meant something to not only the surviving characters, but also to me as a reader. The suspense build up for the first half of the book was also well done and combined with the accurate depiction of the low budget movie industry (cutting costs with crew of experienced ‘bottom feeders’) it set up to be an interesting thriller as we wonder who the killer is, what their motive is, and who will survive.

My first negative is that we were introduced to way too many characters at once. In this case, the changing POV did add something to the storyline and writing, but with only a couple pages dedicated to each character early on, it took a lot of time to see how they all fit into the narrative. Once they were established and their roles in the book explained, I began to enjoy it more.

Like I mentioned earlier, I liked the first half of the book and it was leading up to an intense climax and I still had no real idea of why the killer was targeting this low budget film crew. Then the second half descended into chaos as characters were killed off all at once and very shakily written action scenes. I had to reread sentences a couple times to get the scene set up in my head. After some firefights, a fire and some fist fights, we get to the revelation of who the hunter was and why they did what they did, and it fell flat. For me, it felt like they had no motive or a very weak motive. For some one to brutally kill a number of cast and crew on a movie set, they had better have a strong backstory and a well explored reason for doing this and I didn’t get that in this book. The ending was wrapped up too quickly to allow this to happen.

Overall, Bottom Feeders started off strong but fell flat in the critical action scenes and development of the villain. It did have some good moments and interesting characters, but when things are wrapped up too quickly to allow some closure, it makes it hard to come out the other end satisfied.

Read this more for the insight into the low end movie business than for the mystery, which is slim at best. The characters are pretty stock and it's only the method of murder that is unique. This is the sort of novel you'll find at a beach house and happily read while sitting by the sea.

Over weight pharmaceutical rep Ted gets a nasty shock when a deer smashes into his car whilst driving to a conference. He gets more of a shock when ,after killing the injured deer, someone shoots at him with arrows.
Local Sheriff Sondra Martinez suspects some dodgy local addicts but finds them dead too.
Meanwhile Eddie Lyons who's an out of work film director suddenly gets a call to work on a low budget Western with washed up actress Tami Romans, producer Sam who holds the purse strings and a crew of 'bottom feeders' who work for flat rate, minimum wage, take it or leave it contracts and which includes camera man Giovanni, still hiding his homosexuality and Sheila, the cinematographer with whom Eddie had a drunken one night stand when they last worked together.
There's great descriptions of this motley crew heading up into the mocked up Western set in the mountains with no internet connections and dodgy trucks with missing equipment and a load of venomous rattlesnakes.
This is certainly a black comedy of sorts as after one of the horses has to put down on set the handler is found with an arrow through him and the Sheriff finds the killer has turned their attention to this isolated group of film makers.
I somehow couldn't take this book seriously and felt it had two strands. The murder and horror of the systematic killing spree was a tale of its own, whilst the day to day details of sniping actors (Tom got my vote for the most annoying!) and reality of the unglamorous world on a set with no modern links was inevitably not going to reach a conclusion.
I'd never have read this book without reviewing it but acknowledge(as does the author who may have some film experience) of the unsung heroes behind the camera in the film world which made me continue to read, what was in some places a plot that if shown to a potential producer would be laughed out of town. But as a fun read, despite the gore, well worth dipping into.

The Majestic Television Channel, pandering to an older demographic, plans to air a western starring aging dramatic star, Tami Romans. The script spotlighting Tami as a schoolteacher in a 1880's mining town, traces her attempt to school immigrant children. To this end, producer Sam Carver (Carver Entertainment) assembles a cast and crew for filming at a pre-existing western set called Crescent Movie Ranch. There is no cell phone service available on set.

Sam, as producer, has hired a cast of bottom feeders. Bottom feeders must work together at break neck speed to complete a project on time and under budget. For their efforts, they are paid a flat, take-it-or-leave-it rate. Eddie Lyons, an out of work television director, who frequents the racetrack is chosen to direct. Tami Romans, the star, arrives at the shoot with an entourage including a make up specialist, hair specialist and a stylist. The shoe string budget is further compromised. Time complications and slow downs arise with the arrival of County Deputy Sheriff Sondra Martinez.

Martinez, working in the mountains and assigned to the National Forest needs answers to a grisly road death. She has come upon a murder victim who was killed while changing a flat tire after hitting a deer. Both man and deer had their skulls bashed in. The man, however, had been shot with three arrows. When an arrow is shot into the camera truck on the movie set, Martinez advises the cast to continue filming with caution. She doesn't think this incident is related to the roadside kill. She asks the game warden to compare the arrows gathered from both locations. Are the cast and crew being hunted? Who could possibly want to scare them and stop movie production?

"Bottom Feeders" by John Shepphird was an Agatha Christie type of whodunnit mystery. The characterizations seemed formulaic. There was an aging film star, a tight wad movie producer, an egotistical male lead, and a gay cinematographer. The action started out slow paced but then it took off. The climax and its resolution were unexpected. This reader enjoyed the thorough description of the workings of quickie movie production and the bottom feeders who populate it.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Bottom Feeders".

Ordinarily I don’t write reviews of works I don’t like. I read this book because I signed up for a free copy in exchange for a review and feel that one is owed. Sorry it’s not glowing.

John Shepphird gives us an ugly close-up of the entertainment world that maybe we didn’t want to see. He dedicates “Bottom Feeders” to the “dreamers and schemers in the low-budget trenches,” that is to the people he portrays in his book, none of whom I cared for. I didn’t much like his book either.

The plot is thin, the characters are stilted, the dialogue is forced, and the action is unrealistic. Shepphird tries too hard to create something that doesn’t fly. The idea that the personnel of an entire movie set could be assaulted by a single archer who, singlehandedly, kills off numerous individuals, including law enforcement, without getting inundated by some kind of strike team before the slaughter progresses to a massacre in the middle of a forest fire, no less) is just too remarkable to be believed.

The author has stereotyped a boozy director, a faded star with outlandish demands, an overworked production assistant, a penny-pinching producer, self-involved crewmembers obsessed with stature and money, and an entire plethora of losers. I have to wonder if Shepphird is not teed off about slights he’s encountered in the past. It’s not a book I can recommend.

Too much tongue in cheek humor and there was more detail on low budget fare than the actual mystery; just not for me. Sorry

Bottom Feeders from John Shepherd is a thriller set in the low budget motion picture industry that shines with its likeable characters and fast moving plot. The novel is works at a jaunty pace that pushes the reader along to its exciting climax.

The attention to detail when describing the low budget film industry is spot on and Shepherd really shines when divulging the reader into this world. The murder mystery is set up to a Ten Little Indians Christie-esque setting with everyone gathered on location and being picked off one by one. The clues are hidden within the well written narrative and slowly reveals itself with its winning formula.

Some of the secondary characters are not as three dimensional but the author does an adequate job bringing them to life but this is really nit picking in a novel that is very enjoyable to read. The main characters and plot is where the novel really lends its credence and turns this into the roller coaster ride this is.

The only issue is the reasoning for the murders to happen is a bit tongue in cheek and although it may make some readers roll their eyes. Personally, I enjoyed the tongue in cheek reveal that occurs amongst the carnage.

I am sure this book will find its audience and when it does, people will not be disappointed. A whodunit set in an interesting world and admirably put together for an enjoyable read.

I am very uncertain about the rating on this book. I was delighted with the first 25% or so, thinking 4 or even 5 stars. It’s crisp and interesting as the author introduced me to the characters and how they were doing before they took jobs on a fairly low budget, made for TV movie. I learned a good bit about the movie making process and how the pieces begin to fit together. It was fun. Most of the characters knew each other from previous projects, and it was nice to know some of their background. Well, the opening scene was bloody brutal. I learned later in the book that the words “bloody” and “brutal” would be the over-all theme of the story. I loved the early scenes.

On the other hand, the middle of the book was boring as hell. Yawn worthy. Eddie and Sheila are the only characters that are vaguely likable. I had trouble making myself read...one...more...page. Especially since the beginning had been so good. Too much information on the movie making process while finding out that most of the characters are self-serving A-holes that I didn’t care a thing about. Sheesh. The middle was 2 star at best. Deflating for a story I liked so well in the beginning.

Then there is the last 25%. Oh boy. Lots of action. Arrows flying everywhere. People being hit. Dying...slowly. It was action packed and exciting! Yes! I never knew where the next arrow would hit or who the shooter was! Great stuff, if a little on the slasher movie side. Yay! We are back in 4 star territory! Oops...what the heck? When the shooter and the shooter’s motivations were revealed? Weak. And the ending was total fade to black, and I have no idea what might happen next. Sigh. A let down.

After reading information about the author, his involvement with movie projects like Jersey Shore Shark Attack and Chubacabra Terror, I wondered if this book is semi-autobiographical. Which character would he be? Eddie, the director, I hope. Eddie was the only male character I liked.

So. I wasn’t sure how to recommend this book. It’s too good in places to drop the rating, and too weak in others to elevate. Dilemma. You’ll have to judge for yourself. Final word? It was interesting, so pick up a copy and...

Enjoy! (Maybe) [check the tags]

2shay

Actually good writing, full and thoughtful characterisations - different strands that don't come togeher until last 1/4 of the novel - a jobbing film director, his favourite cameraman and assistant and a fading star .. they are come together with a police investigation into a murder by bow and arrow .. different likely subjects are explored but the end result is a complete surprise - almost too out of left field, bordering on the incredible - and that's the problem - not only with that plot line but with the director's resurgence as an action man .. very hard to believe. The cop isn't! So this only partway works despite the depths and good writing .

Some movie shoots are more fun than others. This low budget set, to add to the usual garden variety of challenges, has a killer archer to deal with. Let the games begin. The title refers to those working with the certain level of production values, in this case made for tv movie, with limited budget and time that's becoming more limited by the minute. Being a real movie buff, this was a lot of fun to read, essentially a really good behind the scenes dvd extra feature. And for a good reason, the author knows what he's talking about having worked on a number of low budget productions in his day. So it's a fun glimpse behind the curtain and the slasher angle just raises the fun bar that much higher, Likeable characters and fast pace make this quick read very entertaining in that distinctly B movie style. Very enjoyable. Thanks Netgalley.