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?

CHOP SHOP I term Minnesota noir crime/horror. In this novel the horror derives from man's inhumanity to man, neatly balanced by human goodness, as exemplified by several other characters. There's hardly a winner here, unless it's poetic justice, but there is substantial redemption, also demonstrated by several characters. Be prepared for gore, and to have your heartstrings wrenched.

Frank works in an organic, health food grocery store….it’s the only work he could get after losing his medical license and spending two years in jail……he needs a job to keep the IRS happy…….but he has another job, he’s a backstreet doctor, from performing STD blood tests and terminations to removing bullets and stitching up knife wounds…until that is, Simone arrives and unleashes all sorts of trouble…..!

Jolene and Amber, run a funeral home, but with mounting debts, a penchant for partying and complaints of ‘clownish’ makeup on the dead…..they are nearly bankrupt…….but then Amber’s drug dealer ‘Friend’, Shawn aka Slug…..suggests a way to help……the sums mentioned would clear all their money worries… but man it’s grim!

When Frank is left with a body, he is put in touch with Jolene and Amber, he’s their first ‘client’……and all hell breaks out….

This is like a dark, gruesome, Carry On Gangster caper with some truly horrific moments, but also really funny……Frank punching a toaster still makes me laugh out loud every time I think of it…totally insane from start to the slightly poignant ending…..

I loved the over the top characters from Missus Petrosky, Oscar and Vlad to Robbie Pescatelli and the really creepy Cornelius…..oh that’s just wrong!!

Not for the faint hearted, but an absolute riot of a read, you’ll laugh, cringe, then laugh again…….Glorious!

Thank you to The publishers, the author and NetGalley for free copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

I requested this title because I thought it sounded fun and silly, and every now and then I really want a silly horror book to read. It stems from my childhood when I discovered Point Horror and Christopher Pike.

Generally speaking, this is quite a graphic book with rather gruesome scenes. It starts with a barkyard abortion and quite frankly that part isn't even the worst bit. Now, the gore and guts don't bother me in the slightest but it felt like the author was trying *too* hard to startle the reader. There were too many cliche shock tactics used, and to be perfectly honest, the writing itself was not good enough to make this anything other than a mediocre read. (Given this was an ARC, I am really hoping the final editing process irons out the mass of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes I had in my copy).

Good enough for a quick and a daft read. Perfect for those who not put off by gratuitous violence. Regardless whoever reads this, make sure to switch the analytical side of your brain off cause the plot makes little to no sense and every character is utterly abhorrent.

Chop Shop
by Andrew Post
2019
Flame Tree
4.0 / 5.0

Amber and Jolene, roommates and business partners of the Hawthorne Funeral Home need to find a way out of their debt at the funeral home or risk losing it. Former mob doctor, Frank Goode provides abortions and other ¨medical procedures¨ in the rear of his grocery store. When Frank needs to dispose of a body, he contacts Amber and Jolene who can´t pass up the chance of making the huge sun offered. They deliver the parts to Rhino, a man connected to body harvesting. But when the parts arrive in ¨rotten¨ shape, Amber and Jolene must find a way to replace the missing parts.....even if it means losing an arm or a leg.

With a cast of hard- to- like-but- you- can-not- ignore characters, this draws you into their word of corruption, crime families and racial/ethnic bigotry. This is an insane horror novel. I enjoyed its fast pace, its crazy premise and its black humor.

If your like your horror story with terrifying grisly scenes, this might be just the one for you.

Thanks to Flame Tree and the author for sending this e-book ARC fro review.

OMG WHAT A READ!!!!
This book has had thoroughly entertained from the first to the last page. Horror, blood, gore, humour and such a brilliant story.Did I mention illegal body and organ harvesting. Be warned this book is not for the squeamish. Hints of Tarantino and a real thrill ride. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

When I initially started reading this book, I felt a little overwhelmed and confused by the seemingly disjointed storyline and characters being thrown at me. But once things started to come together, my confusion morphed into disgusted enjoyment (pretty sure that’s a real thing).

Chop Shop is gory, over the top, gruesome, and macabre, in the best possible way. Andrew Post not only pushes you to the edge of decency with this story, he nudges you over and lets you dangle a bit before pulling you back. And just when you think it can’t go any further, surprise! It does. And you’re ultimately glad it did.

I received a free e-copy of Chop Shop by Andrew Post from Net Galley and Flame Tree Press in exchange for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of this book! :)

This one takes a little while to get going, but once it gets there - hoooo boy it GOES THERE. I read the last chunk of this book with my hand covering my mouth because my jaw had dropped and I'm pretty sure that I gasped "NO!" at least a few times.

Chop Shop gives away much of its plot in the summary, which is a shame. We follow two storylines that seem separate but eventually converge and blend into one. Amber and Jolene are best friends running a failing funeral home and struggling to make ends meet. Frank Goode is a former surgeon turned back-alley mafia sawbones after a stint in prison that stripped him of his license. The same time that our funeral directors decide to turn to chopping up unwanted bodies to sell on the Red Market, Frank finds himself with a body to dispose of.

I like this book but I knocked off stars due to the disconnect for me at the very end. There were grammatical and structural errors throughout the eARC that was provided to me, so I don't know if it will be clearer in the finished book. But I was confused as to the fates of two characters at the end.

I also thought the message that the book ended up telling was very heavy-handed through the epilogue chapter. Like to the point that I was rolling my eyes going "yeah yeah we get it".

That being said, Chop Shop is a fun read for horror fans - gore galore, oozing with dark humor (omg that scene with Jolene and Cornelius had me dying), interesting and believable character dynamics, and mafioso machinations. Definitely pick this one up and give it a chance if the summary blurb interests you!

Firstly, thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for a free advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow, what a great concept. This book is full of drama and bloody scenes, but also has a liberal sprinkling of humour, quirky characters and almost slapstick situations.

There are 2 main angles happening here. One one side, we have a disgraced surgeon who has had to resort to back alley surgery patching up criminals and prostitutes who can't go to a hospital. On the other, we have 2 hapless girls trying to run an inherited funeral home business.

Their paths cross when a mutual friend involved in the underworld ropes them both into trading in human body parts. What follows is a mixture of gangland betrayals and murders and just pure ineptitude, to give us a sometimes hilarious, often shocking rollercoaster of a ride.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are all likeable in their own way, the plot is well thought out, and the ending wraps up quite nicely. Definitely needs some serious editing but this is an uncorrected proof copy, so I've ignored that.

A really gripping, fast paced book, written very well about a horrifyingly contemplative subject while managing to retain some humour.
I see this being a fantastic mini series! (Not unlike 6ft under)
A really good read, and a definite recommendation.

And now I need some oxygen...



I don’t even know where to start with this one. You’ve got violence, general gruesomeness, the kind of funny-but-trashy people you see on a daytime talk show, mobsters, drug dealers, and some completely over-the-top situations that ramp up and up until you simply can’t see a way out for our characters – whew!

And it’s fun.

Even as I was stunned into a sort of disbelief, I was smiling. Every time you think the author isn’t going to take us there…he takes us there!

Definitely not for everyone, but if you can deal with a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am crime novel where anything goes, this one is for you!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Long after souls have departed for Hades' realm, their bodies remain earthbound, buried or incinerated - or are they? In this part of Michigan, Frank (an unlicensed doctor who still practices) and Amber and Jolene (morticians, with no skill for makeup) unexpectedly find themselves working for a mysterious and illegal group that sells body parts and blood. When a patient of Frank dies, he is quick to dispose of the body, dropping it off at Amber and Jolene; he expects to pay them for their services, but it's they who pay him. Amber skillfully slices and dices the corpse, preparing it for the intermediaries who will have the package shipped to Mexico. The terrible duo finds themselves in trouble when it's found that the patient's body is flawed in some day. Chop Shop is a fun and crazy thriller, and highly original too. I highly recommend it!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Flame Tree Press, and Andrew Post for the advance copy.

A delightfully gory horror story, highly entertaining and does the job if you want a quick horror that packs a punch.

A terrifying novel about how life can go terribly wrong with just a few bad choices made. A former inmate and doctor, two women in the funeral business, plus a few others are all inexorably banded together in an illegal harvesting of bodies and organs. I read this book in one day, because I couldn't put it down. It surprised me, because I normally wouldn't choose this type of topic even though I'm a huge horror fan.

Chop Shop is a crazy and unique read. I couldn't put it down and I am amazed the author really pulled this off. I would read more from this daring author.

I failed to finish this book as it just did not grab me. It's a cross between a black comedy and a violent thriller and failed to work as either. You have gangsters, dodgy doctors and a crematorium which gets sucked into an easy money making scheme which goes wrong. Maybe I was not in the mood for it, but it was a real miss for me.

This book was a lot. There were a lot of different plot lines and characters that all converged nicely into one story. It was fast paced and you're tossed into the action immediately, which I always love. Some of the characters were quite likeable and you definitely ended up rooting for them, and some of the characters were NOT likeable--but fortunately they mostly end up dead.

Except Cornelius. My dude, get a different hobby.

The places where this book suffers are the long, tedious constant rehashing of the undertakers and Dr. Goode's histories. I get it. They're not good decision makers. Understood. These monologues don't really give you a better feel of the character, they just seem to be saying the same thing over again, so not a lot of the characters feel very flushed out and well thought.

Not a terribly unique or novel story, but the author's voice makes this one worth reading. There's a lot of gore, but there's also so downright comedic moments, and the characters act in ways that make sense. The story is easy to follow and you want to pick it up and read. And in the end, everything gets wrapped up in a tidy boy and there are some very satisfying moments there.

Overall, I liked it. I'd recommend it to a friend.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure what I just read but it was wild from start to finish, and highly enjoyable. I couldn’t put the book down.

There are actually 3 different stories in this book, but they all connect after a while.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Equal parts humorous and gross. Definitely recommend this book.

Post’s novel Chop Shop is one of those stories where everything is thrown in and it will either work or be a disastrous concoction. We have a cast of highly unlikable characters bar one, people who are really quite shallow and self centred wrapped up in the world of organised crime or get rich schemes. You also have a plot that is dangerously spinning out of control and you are left with a fun page turning interesting and enjoyable gangster hard core thriller that hurls you towards it traumatic ending.

The characters are very well descripted and although there is some that fit quite comfortably in the stereotyped boxes, they are sassy and create a sense of atmosphere. Through their well described plot points, it is probably good that this book doesn’t come with smell o’rama as the desperation spores off the pages.

Using basically three characters from Frank, mafia doctor and Amber and Jolene, funeral home owners and pointing the narrative across these three characters, the reader receives an interesting point of views. Black humour does run rife through the pages but these are keeping within the disguise of each character. The supporting characters are well drawn and they each hold their own surprise and twist and turns of the story to help keep them memorable.

The plot does live very close to the edge and could have very easily spun out of control if it was not for the watchful eye of Post. He was able to spin it and push the limits but reel it back in at just the right moment. At times, things do pile on top of narrative but is handled with an expert hand and to be honest, made me enjoy the novel a lot more although some of the descriptive text is sometimes a bit long and could do with a slight editing to tighten it up.

This is a fun page turning read that will keep the reader on their toes. Whilst the plot is outrageous and fun, it does settle within the confines of its own reality. The characters are well developed and have a dark edge to give it an extra punch. Overall, a fun edgy read that should reward its readers willingly.

Though the premise is anything but a comedic one, I still found myself laughing out loud a few times, just as a direct result of the bantering between the two female stars of the story. How could you not love a story told about two women undertakers? The plot kept me intrigued and the pace was sufficient to keep the midnight oils burning in my home. Definitely recommended.

** I thank the publisher and/or author for allowing me to read this novel as an ARC, without recompense, in exchange for my honest review. **