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911 #2
Dead End
With the world as he knew it in ashes, one man must protect those who can’t protect themselves.
In the time before the storm, Jim Parker committed his life to helping others. As a police officer, he placed himself in harm’s way for the greater good. But now that the world’s been turned upside down by a deadly EMP strike, it’s all he can do to survive. With his friends Finn and Ava by his side, Parker must defy the power-hungry Council and search for his long-lost daughter, Sara.
Sara gave up on being saved a long time ago. Abducted as a child and raised by the Church of Humanity on a compound called the Vineyard, she knows she can only rely on herself. With the Council behind her, she’s been working from the inside to bring down the corrupt Church and its sociopathic leader, Theo Truesdale. When her father and his friends arrive, Sara knows she just might be able to complete her mission—but a horrifying discovery Parker makes along the way shows just how truly ruthless the Council can be.
Now, Parker will have to decide between taking down the organization that kidnapped his daughter, or saving innocent lives—with nothing less than his humanity hanging in the balance.
In the time before the storm, Jim Parker committed his life to helping others. As a police officer, he placed himself in harm’s way for the greater good. But now that the world’s been turned upside down by a deadly EMP strike, it’s all he can do to survive. With his friends Finn and Ava by his side, Parker must defy the power-hungry Council and search for his long-lost daughter, Sara.
Sara gave up on being saved a long time ago. Abducted as a child and raised by the Church of Humanity on a compound called the Vineyard, she knows she can only rely on herself. With the Council behind her, she’s been working from the inside to bring down the corrupt Church and its sociopathic leader, Theo Truesdale. When her father and his friends arrive, Sara knows she just might be able to complete her mission—but a horrifying discovery Parker makes along the way shows just how truly ruthless the Council can be.
Now, Parker will have to decide between taking down the organization that kidnapped his daughter, or saving innocent lives—with nothing less than his humanity hanging in the balance.
- GenresThriller
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2018
115 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Grace Hamilton
141 books296 followersGrace Hamilton is the prepper pen-name for a bad-ass, survivalist momma-bear of four kids, and wife to a wonderful husband. After being stuck in a mountain cabin for six days following a flash flood, she decided she never wanted to feel so powerless or have to send her kids to bed hungry again. Now she lives the prepper lifestyle and knows that if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens, she’ll be ready to help protect and provide for her family.
Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"
It’s her wish that through her characters, you will get to experience what life will be like and essentially learn from their mistakes and experiences.
Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"
It’s her wish that through her characters, you will get to experience what life will be like and essentially learn from their mistakes and experiences.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 26, 2018
Publishing Date: April 2018
Publisher: Relay
ISBN:9781987561623
Genre:Post Apoc/Dystopian
Rating: 3.6/5
Publisher’s Description: In the time before the storm, Jim Parker committed his life to helping others. As a police officer, he placed himself in harm’s way for the greater good. But now that the world’s been turned upside down by a deadly EMP strike, it’s all he can do to survive. With his friends Finn and Ava by his side, Parker must defy the power-hungry Council and search for his long-lost daughter, Sara.
Review: I did not read the first in this series but wish I had. This was really good, and not just of the character and world building etc., but from a preppers perspective. I was indoctrinated into the prepper lifestyle as a young boy. Homesteading in a large family where my parents were convinced that the crash was upon us. This novel is one of many in the genre, but one of a few that weave an accurate approach to the story line while creating a solid foundation in fact.
Where the novel completely diverges from reality is really based on future suppositions about certain events transpiring and the subsequent fallout/recovery. In this novel every group is boiling with men whose only goal is to kill, subjugate, rape and/or execute after the rape. If they are not raping or wanting to rape, they are smirking while killing or thinking of rape. These groups that are functional or rather, dysfunctional, fit into convenient paramilitary boxes or religious splinter groups where their rotten under belly is exposed.
History proves that when reactionary mobs find a chink in societal norms, events quickly escalate to violence and looting. This occurs when there is no “event” promulgating the action. However when resources dwindle under the yoke of calamity, people usually come together. Take for instance war torn cities or as recent as Venezuela where there has been a monetary collapse. The collective humanity have not been reduced to their basest of natures.
I think preppers, by nature and design, are convinced of negative outcomes that support their identity. A “If something bad happens then I was right”, approach to life. I get that there are homesteaders that get back to nature and self-reliance, but once you take that step into prepping then you’re planning for the worst possible outcome. This is often reflected in the literature that encompasses these actions. The bottom line is that we just don’t know.
The minor fall downs in this novel were the fire fights with trained soldiers against an old cop, one girl and two women. I am not saying that they can’t be as capable but when getting gunned at by Strykers with .50 auto BMG’s and thermal imaging then you are pretty fucked. Of course they always win and are bleeding out after every encounter but seem to become ambulatory and get into another rape-fest/gunfight. I am not buying what the authors are selling me, but it was still very entertaining. Another miss hit was when Ava and Parker are captured by a band of raping/laughing men and Ava shoots Shitbird and Frank with a Glock handgun. After Ava puts down Frank she stands over him, …“The magazine in the pistol was empty…her handgun dry-fired in series of whispery, mechanical clicks..”. Glocks are single action and do NOT click on empty as the trigger does not reset without jacking the slide or live firing. Fug. Details people.
I still had a good time reading this and will definitely get the next in the series. p.s. If the SHTF then Sheena will be one of the first to go.
You can read all of my reviews, here.
Publisher: Relay
ISBN:9781987561623
Genre:Post Apoc/Dystopian
Rating: 3.6/5
Publisher’s Description: In the time before the storm, Jim Parker committed his life to helping others. As a police officer, he placed himself in harm’s way for the greater good. But now that the world’s been turned upside down by a deadly EMP strike, it’s all he can do to survive. With his friends Finn and Ava by his side, Parker must defy the power-hungry Council and search for his long-lost daughter, Sara.
Review: I did not read the first in this series but wish I had. This was really good, and not just of the character and world building etc., but from a preppers perspective. I was indoctrinated into the prepper lifestyle as a young boy. Homesteading in a large family where my parents were convinced that the crash was upon us. This novel is one of many in the genre, but one of a few that weave an accurate approach to the story line while creating a solid foundation in fact.
Where the novel completely diverges from reality is really based on future suppositions about certain events transpiring and the subsequent fallout/recovery. In this novel every group is boiling with men whose only goal is to kill, subjugate, rape and/or execute after the rape. If they are not raping or wanting to rape, they are smirking while killing or thinking of rape. These groups that are functional or rather, dysfunctional, fit into convenient paramilitary boxes or religious splinter groups where their rotten under belly is exposed.
History proves that when reactionary mobs find a chink in societal norms, events quickly escalate to violence and looting. This occurs when there is no “event” promulgating the action. However when resources dwindle under the yoke of calamity, people usually come together. Take for instance war torn cities or as recent as Venezuela where there has been a monetary collapse. The collective humanity have not been reduced to their basest of natures.
I think preppers, by nature and design, are convinced of negative outcomes that support their identity. A “If something bad happens then I was right”, approach to life. I get that there are homesteaders that get back to nature and self-reliance, but once you take that step into prepping then you’re planning for the worst possible outcome. This is often reflected in the literature that encompasses these actions. The bottom line is that we just don’t know.
The minor fall downs in this novel were the fire fights with trained soldiers against an old cop, one girl and two women. I am not saying that they can’t be as capable but when getting gunned at by Strykers with .50 auto BMG’s and thermal imaging then you are pretty fucked. Of course they always win and are bleeding out after every encounter but seem to become ambulatory and get into another rape-fest/gunfight. I am not buying what the authors are selling me, but it was still very entertaining. Another miss hit was when Ava and Parker are captured by a band of raping/laughing men and Ava shoots Shitbird and Frank with a Glock handgun. After Ava puts down Frank she stands over him, …“The magazine in the pistol was empty…her handgun dry-fired in series of whispery, mechanical clicks..”. Glocks are single action and do NOT click on empty as the trigger does not reset without jacking the slide or live firing. Fug. Details people.
I still had a good time reading this and will definitely get the next in the series. p.s. If the SHTF then Sheena will be one of the first to go.
You can read all of my reviews, here.
April 29, 2018
This post-apocalyptic thriller left me hoping for a lot more. The authors have a knack for detail, but unfortunately, I found it overdone. In combination with a couple world-building and characterization issues, this left me pretty disappointed in this book.
Now, I think there may have been something here, but the two things that really bothered me while reading were over-description and characterization. The over-description slowed the pace of this book quite a bit, and I would argue, not something in you want in a thriller. The dialogue was also stilted in places, and I struggled to differentiate the voices, especially between the girls. With Parker, I wanted to see some growth, but the problem is, he’s not presented as a character who needs growth, except of course, for his convenient drug addiction that he randomly develops at the beginning of the book. To me, Parker is still the same cocky, too perfect alpha male protagonist. Overall, I found him difficult to connect with; he seemed to lack much personality. I thought I would really root for him because he’s aiming to save his daughter, but generally, I was just disinterested in him.
Something else I really struggled with was the world building. It’s nothing remarkable in terms of post-apocalyptic fiction; in fact America has turned into a monolith of men who only want to rape and kill people. Perhaps I’m too much of an optimist, but I would like to believe that the majority of people wouldn’t behave like this in a crisis. Now, I see looting and hoarding, protecting what supplies they have, but I would have liked to see a greater variety in the type of people presented (I had high hopes, given the encounter with the looters early on). Additionally, I just struggled to believe that these three people are going to go up against a lot of armed men (both military and not) and come out alive. Yes, they come out injured, but I'm also questioning their ability to keep going after all their injuries.
Overall, I had to struggle to finish it, even though there was a lot of action. I found myself skimming the vast amounts of detail to figure out what was going on. If a lot of this over-description had been cut down and a little more variation in the encounters had occurred, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more and struggled to put it down.
I would say I don’t really recommend this book. I’m going to put a big content warning here: there is a lot of violence, swearing and rape in this book, and some readers will most definitely find it upsetting. But:
It would appeal to readers who enjoy a lot of violence and heavy description.
Note: I received this book free through Netgalley in exchange for a review.
Now, I think there may have been something here, but the two things that really bothered me while reading were over-description and characterization. The over-description slowed the pace of this book quite a bit, and I would argue, not something in you want in a thriller. The dialogue was also stilted in places, and I struggled to differentiate the voices, especially between the girls. With Parker, I wanted to see some growth, but the problem is, he’s not presented as a character who needs growth, except of course, for his convenient drug addiction that he randomly develops at the beginning of the book. To me, Parker is still the same cocky, too perfect alpha male protagonist. Overall, I found him difficult to connect with; he seemed to lack much personality. I thought I would really root for him because he’s aiming to save his daughter, but generally, I was just disinterested in him.
Something else I really struggled with was the world building. It’s nothing remarkable in terms of post-apocalyptic fiction; in fact America has turned into a monolith of men who only want to rape and kill people. Perhaps I’m too much of an optimist, but I would like to believe that the majority of people wouldn’t behave like this in a crisis. Now, I see looting and hoarding, protecting what supplies they have, but I would have liked to see a greater variety in the type of people presented (I had high hopes, given the encounter with the looters early on). Additionally, I just struggled to believe that these three people are going to go up against a lot of armed men (both military and not) and come out alive. Yes, they come out injured, but I'm also questioning their ability to keep going after all their injuries.
Overall, I had to struggle to finish it, even though there was a lot of action. I found myself skimming the vast amounts of detail to figure out what was going on. If a lot of this over-description had been cut down and a little more variation in the encounters had occurred, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more and struggled to put it down.
I would say I don’t really recommend this book. I’m going to put a big content warning here: there is a lot of violence, swearing and rape in this book, and some readers will most definitely find it upsetting. But:
It would appeal to readers who enjoy a lot of violence and heavy description.
Note: I received this book free through Netgalley in exchange for a review.
August 2, 2019
Parker’s desire to rescue his daughter Sara seems like a lost cause. His tight group of survivors including Ava and Finn runs into trouble at every turn. They’ve grown together as only a life and death desire to survive can cement a team together. Between the Council and the Church of Humanity, they find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Parker is constantly forced to rescue other survivors rather than head straight for his daughter. The story is full of twists and turns, encountering one firefight after another. Eventually uniting with Sara, it reveals secrets that at once answers many questions and also shocks Parker to his core. Parker once again finds himself at a crossroad; who to believe, who to trust, who to kill. The terror and violence that was to come is unbelievable. Would any of them survive? Four.point.five. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
December 27, 2019
This review contains spoilers.
I did not finish this book. I've read many post-apocalyptic books by Grace Hamilton, and enjoyed them. I read the first book in this series, and had serious reservations about it as it seemed very different from Ms. Hamilton's other books. The language was much coarser, and the female lead seemed to exist mostly to be threatened with rape. However, the redemption arc for the male lead was good and the overall story was engaging enough that I started book two.
Within the first 15% of the book, all ground gained by the male lead was lost and it became clear that all the female leads (three in this book) existed simply to be cautionary tales for rape culture in the post-apocalyptic future...and this time it went beyond threats.
I really felt as if I were reading a book by a different Grace Hamilton. Your mileage may vary, but be warned that if you enjoyed her other EMP and end-of-the-world series, you may not like this one.
I did not finish this book. I've read many post-apocalyptic books by Grace Hamilton, and enjoyed them. I read the first book in this series, and had serious reservations about it as it seemed very different from Ms. Hamilton's other books. The language was much coarser, and the female lead seemed to exist mostly to be threatened with rape. However, the redemption arc for the male lead was good and the overall story was engaging enough that I started book two.
Within the first 15% of the book, all ground gained by the male lead was lost and it became clear that all the female leads (three in this book) existed simply to be cautionary tales for rape culture in the post-apocalyptic future...and this time it went beyond threats.
I really felt as if I were reading a book by a different Grace Hamilton. Your mileage may vary, but be warned that if you enjoyed her other EMP and end-of-the-world series, you may not like this one.
April 29, 2018
This continues the dark, violent and grisly series about the further struggles for survival by Grace Hamilton, after the electronic world we know has gone dark. The book continues with the extremely educational and informative about the beliefs and actions of "preppers". This book, even though dark and deadly, was in fact, an ongoing story about the love and devotion that continues to drive the characters to attempt to save the ones they love from the resulting chaos of the blacked out world they knew. The story was told in such amounts of descriptive details the reader could easily picture their trek across the land, their preparations, and of course their battles, both with the outside enemy, as well as with own inner demons. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books.
May 18, 2018
I have struggled to hang on to the story but I particularly like the netgalley site for allowing me to read this book.
We find Jim Parker, a police officer who puts himself in danger for the good of the citizens. With his friends Finn and Ava he goes to find his missing daughter Sara. Except that she gave up being saved. She was kidnapped by an organization vineyard.
A captivating story with endearing characters.
We find Jim Parker, a police officer who puts himself in danger for the good of the citizens. With his friends Finn and Ava he goes to find his missing daughter Sara. Except that she gave up being saved. She was kidnapped by an organization vineyard.
A captivating story with endearing characters.
August 2, 2021
Dead End. Grace Hamilton Jack Colrain
Book two in this excellent series. Parker, Ava, Finn and Sara are surviving by sheer overwhelming force and guerilla tactics. Now Finn has succumbed to her wounds. they all are walking wounded. Parker is captured but Sara and Eva manage to escape to freedom in Canada. In all likelihood they will return back to the chaos to rescue Parker. Non stop action. An amazing read!! Enjoyed immensely!!
Book two in this excellent series. Parker, Ava, Finn and Sara are surviving by sheer overwhelming force and guerilla tactics. Now Finn has succumbed to her wounds. they all are walking wounded. Parker is captured but Sara and Eva manage to escape to freedom in Canada. In all likelihood they will return back to the chaos to rescue Parker. Non stop action. An amazing read!! Enjoyed immensely!!
February 12, 2020
Dark and full of detail.
Reading this book takes you to the depths of despair and the loss of hope. For the main characters it is an unrelenting battle to stay ahead of the bad guys. There are many firefights, pain and grief for the intrepid trio. And there are some twists hard to see coming. In all a dark look at humanity.
Reading this book takes you to the depths of despair and the loss of hope. For the main characters it is an unrelenting battle to stay ahead of the bad guys. There are many firefights, pain and grief for the intrepid trio. And there are some twists hard to see coming. In all a dark look at humanity.
November 29, 2021
How far would you be willing to go for a loved one? What would you sacrifice? Sometimes doing the right thing is not always the easy way and in a world that has already gone to well... does it really matter? This complex story shows some very realistic characters and some pretty descriptive details, but in the end it leaves a dark look at what humanity is capable of.
April 20, 2018
I don't know
What to say. It is impossible to imagine anyone being as brave as this group of people. I can't wait for book 3, but I must admit I need a little rest from the non-stop action.
What to say. It is impossible to imagine anyone being as brave as this group of people. I can't wait for book 3, but I must admit I need a little rest from the non-stop action.
April 25, 2018
Didn't even finish.
Too vulgar for my liking. I hate not finishing books or series but good grief. This was a bit much. Ruined the story and book. Guess they were going for shock value.
Too vulgar for my liking. I hate not finishing books or series but good grief. This was a bit much. Ruined the story and book. Guess they were going for shock value.
April 30, 2018
Book 2
The saga continues. Interesting plot. The last third took an interesting twist. Didn't expect that. Parker's life would have been so different. Looking forward to reading the next book.
The saga continues. Interesting plot. The last third took an interesting twist. Didn't expect that. Parker's life would have been so different. Looking forward to reading the next book.
April 28, 2019
Terror never ends
No matter how hard they fight, not how far they run, terror is always on their heels. Don't stop reading this series. It only gets better the more you read, and you will not believe what happens next.
No matter how hard they fight, not how far they run, terror is always on their heels. Don't stop reading this series. It only gets better the more you read, and you will not believe what happens next.
September 27, 2019
Good
I truly like this book. It is another pot apocalyptic saga with unfathomable depths of twists, turns and betrayal by Parker’s own wife. Parker must allude two dangerous groups in order to survive.
I truly like this book. It is another pot apocalyptic saga with unfathomable depths of twists, turns and betrayal by Parker’s own wife. Parker must allude two dangerous groups in order to survive.
March 23, 2020
For as much as I liked book 1,I don't care for book 2.I find it crude and violent more than needed.Maybe it's the times. Richard Brewer was a good enough narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'
April 28, 2018
Read for NetGalley.
If you like Mary Sue characters, go ahead. If not, do not waste your time.
If you like Mary Sue characters, go ahead. If not, do not waste your time.
October 12, 2018
Great novel
I really enjoyed the feeling that the main characters are such a cohesive unit. They are also a family and it's shown beautifully.
I really enjoyed the feeling that the main characters are such a cohesive unit. They are also a family and it's shown beautifully.
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May 22, 2018I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Before the EMP storm, police officer Jim Parker protected and served. Now, in this dystopian look at earth after a huge EMP burst which has disabled almost everything, he must fight to find his daughter.
Before the EMP storm, police officer Jim Parker protected and served. Now, in this dystopian look at earth after a huge EMP burst which has disabled almost everything, he must fight to find his daughter.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews