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Dead Hard
Silver City is not the kind of place you’d want to be with no recollection of who or what you are. Especially if you happen to find yourself naked in a pig barn, with a fresh bullet hole in your forehead.
Suffocated with overwhelming anger and seemingly superhuman strength, the dead man sets out to discover who is responsible, why he was targeted, and what the speckled gunk sealing his wounds is. Gangsters, police, and freakish creatures that dwell in the depths of the silver mines, the entire city is working to bring him down.
Dead Hard is a brutally bizarre tale of revolution and redemption from the author of Sons of Sorrow.
Suffocated with overwhelming anger and seemingly superhuman strength, the dead man sets out to discover who is responsible, why he was targeted, and what the speckled gunk sealing his wounds is. Gangsters, police, and freakish creatures that dwell in the depths of the silver mines, the entire city is working to bring him down.
Dead Hard is a brutally bizarre tale of revolution and redemption from the author of Sons of Sorrow.
158 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2022
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Matthew A. Clarke
60 books182 followersMatthew A. Clarke is a British horror and bizarro author.
He has published fifteen books at the time of writing, and has countless short stories lurking in the darkest corners of the library.
Bizarro
112 members
Bizarro fiction is a contemporary literary genre, which often uses elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque, along with pop-surrealism and genre fiction staples, in order to create subversive, weird, and entertaining works. We read that stuff (someone has to) and then write publicly to one another here about the experience of reading it. If you join this group, you can too.
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Website: www.matthewaclarkeauthor.co.uk
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/~/e/B082WJJPQ3
Facebook: www.facebook.com/matthewaclarkeauthor
He has published fifteen books at the time of writing, and has countless short stories lurking in the darkest corners of the library.
Bizarro
112 members
Bizarro fiction is a contemporary literary genre, which often uses elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque, along with pop-surrealism and genre fiction staples, in order to create subversive, weird, and entertaining works. We read that stuff (someone has to) and then write publicly to one another here about the experience of reading it. If you join this group, you can too.
Join Bizarro!
View this group on Goodreads »
Share book reviews and ratings with Bizarro, and even join a book club on Goodreads.
Connect
Website: www.matthewaclarkeauthor.co.uk
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/~/e/B082WJJPQ3
Facebook: www.facebook.com/matthewaclarkeauthor
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 25, 2022
First of all, I'm so excited to be reading a Matt Clarke book again, you always know you're in for a good time, and this is absolutely no exception!
Silver City has gone to shit! The cops are in collaboration with the criminals and everyone is out to get everyone else. A case of mistaken identity leads to a ‘dead hard’ Benjamin trying to find out who he is and why he is like he is. With murder and mayhem aplenty along the way! We also meet 'The Silvers’ who are an interesting bunch, to say the least!
With revenge, suspense, tension, mystery and plenty of action, this was a really fun read! It was also bizarre, (which is what Matt does best), brutal, bloody and darkly humorous! Is Bizarro Action Horror a thing, if not, it should be, and this is a prime example of it!
I really hope Dead Hard comes back for more! I couldn't put this book down at all, it was a one sitting read for me! Fantastic stuff!
Silver City has gone to shit! The cops are in collaboration with the criminals and everyone is out to get everyone else. A case of mistaken identity leads to a ‘dead hard’ Benjamin trying to find out who he is and why he is like he is. With murder and mayhem aplenty along the way! We also meet 'The Silvers’ who are an interesting bunch, to say the least!
With revenge, suspense, tension, mystery and plenty of action, this was a really fun read! It was also bizarre, (which is what Matt does best), brutal, bloody and darkly humorous! Is Bizarro Action Horror a thing, if not, it should be, and this is a prime example of it!
I really hope Dead Hard comes back for more! I couldn't put this book down at all, it was a one sitting read for me! Fantastic stuff!
December 29, 2022
Man this was just a bad ass ride. A corrupt town\sheriff ruled by the mob but the mob messes up kills the wrong guy then all fucking hell breaks loose with vengeance served up with some violent blood splattering goodness and some funny, weird ass shit happening along the way. Matt Clarke rules and never disappoints I highly recommend this one.
February 9, 2023
This was a wild and bloody ride! Non stop action and plenty of gore. I read the Afterword and saw that the author mentioned this book was sort of a homage to the Terminator and RoboCop and he definitely hit the mark. I loved this so much I need more adventures of Dead Hard!
February 13, 2023
Loved this, got a little bit of a robocop vibe going on and growing up in the 80’s who doesn’t love robocop. Benjamin hard “wakes up” dead, although something won’t quite let him die, he has the ability to heal his wounds and has super human strength, so he sets out to find out what happened to him and seek revenge! Great story with a great bit of gore and we all love gore! 😂
Read
June 13, 2022I wrote another book. Please add it to your 'To Read.' Don't make me beg. I mean, I will, if you want me to? Okay, fine. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. You'll be added to my 'good' list this year.
Available from June 25th 2022
Available from June 25th 2022
June 25, 2022
I finished this in a day as I just couldn’t put it down. This was a bit more gore than matthew Clarkes usual bizarro type stuff but done so well.
Although he did still manage to get some fabulous one liners in; my favourite being
“A memory hit him like a child on the main road in a Stephen king movie.”
This starts as a cop procedural about corrupt cops and then just goes bonkers from there. There’s justice, revenge and plain unnecessary murder along with some necessary.
There was a great Bruce Campbell/Ash type shenanigan towards the end. I think that was one of the best parts.
And of course matt managed to get a mention of coffin dodgers in there too. Five sledgehammers from me.
Although he did still manage to get some fabulous one liners in; my favourite being
“A memory hit him like a child on the main road in a Stephen king movie.”
This starts as a cop procedural about corrupt cops and then just goes bonkers from there. There’s justice, revenge and plain unnecessary murder along with some necessary.
There was a great Bruce Campbell/Ash type shenanigan towards the end. I think that was one of the best parts.
And of course matt managed to get a mention of coffin dodgers in there too. Five sledgehammers from me.
June 28, 2022
What an absolute blast (bad pun very much intended.)
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, and it absolutely kills me that I didn't get to it before its release, because I consumed it in one sitting. It's a very quick read, which is not to say that it doesn't pack several punches; literally and figuratively.
Gory, violent, over the top fun and a perfect palate cleanser.
It's action packed, it's a little pulpy, and I enjoyed every page!
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, and it absolutely kills me that I didn't get to it before its release, because I consumed it in one sitting. It's a very quick read, which is not to say that it doesn't pack several punches; literally and figuratively.
Gory, violent, over the top fun and a perfect palate cleanser.
It's action packed, it's a little pulpy, and I enjoyed every page!
June 20, 2022
Nothing beats a little mob action and some revenge - with a bit of a twist!!
July 3, 2022
A hit on Benjamin Hard failed and now he’s wandering the streets of Silver City with no recollection of what happened to him. An encounter with Officer Creek starts to spark his memory. From here you really get a good look at what happens in Silver City. A backwards place riddled with criminals and crooked police officers.
This was an enjoyable read. Action? Check. Mystery? Check. Gore? Check. Clarke always does a wonderful job pulling the reader in from the start with his gripping storyline. The pace was great! Every detail shared moved the story along and gave a better understanding of what really happened to Benjamin Hard. A brilliant story of revenge served with a side of justice.
This was an enjoyable read. Action? Check. Mystery? Check. Gore? Check. Clarke always does a wonderful job pulling the reader in from the start with his gripping storyline. The pace was great! Every detail shared moved the story along and gave a better understanding of what really happened to Benjamin Hard. A brilliant story of revenge served with a side of justice.
November 3, 2025
It takes a special kind of man to clean up a special kind of mess, and Benjamin Hard - a Walking Dead meets Terminator type - is indeed the right kind of special needed to set things right in his home town, Silver City, a place over-run with drugs, violence, and corrupt police. But even with his specific skill set, does our hero have what it takes to get the job done? With an entire city set against him? It seems unlikely.
Dead Hard is a suspense driven crime thriller/paranormal mystery unlike any other. It is a horror. It is a comedy. It is a love story. It is bizarre, and it is fun. Each of Clarke's stories is a treat. He reinvents himself with every tale he tells. As with Mantis, Trip, Troll, or Incel, you won't find anything by this author that isn't unique - and for that, I say, "Thankee Sai!"
If you can imagine a Quinten Tarantino version of Mayor of Kinston - featuring a very confused Wolverine in a police uniform, then you will have some idea of what you are getting yourself into with Dead Hard.
Dead Hard is a suspense driven crime thriller/paranormal mystery unlike any other. It is a horror. It is a comedy. It is a love story. It is bizarre, and it is fun. Each of Clarke's stories is a treat. He reinvents himself with every tale he tells. As with Mantis, Trip, Troll, or Incel, you won't find anything by this author that isn't unique - and for that, I say, "Thankee Sai!"
If you can imagine a Quinten Tarantino version of Mayor of Kinston - featuring a very confused Wolverine in a police uniform, then you will have some idea of what you are getting yourself into with Dead Hard.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews