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The Mortsafeman #1
Dead Scared
Who knew the dead have more to fear from the living than the living have to fear from the dead? Certainly not seventeen-year-old Chris Chandler, not before his family moved to Bemishstock, Maine in the autumn of 1985.
His father’s job is to close plants for Allied Paper Products of Wisconsin. Bemishstock is his fourth crumbling town in six years, and each one has resented and harassed the Chandlers more hatefully than the previous. Even Chris will admit that his family’s odyssey across America has turned him into a lonely, brooding nutcase, and he has only survived the soul-sucking experience by remaining virtually invisible. Then suddenly one day, after a couple of totally stupid mistakes, Chris finds himself trapped between two nightmarish forces—a grave robber and a vengeful demon—and like the cemetery guardians of old, he must defeat both or end up a corpse himself and cursed for all eternity
His father’s job is to close plants for Allied Paper Products of Wisconsin. Bemishstock is his fourth crumbling town in six years, and each one has resented and harassed the Chandlers more hatefully than the previous. Even Chris will admit that his family’s odyssey across America has turned him into a lonely, brooding nutcase, and he has only survived the soul-sucking experience by remaining virtually invisible. Then suddenly one day, after a couple of totally stupid mistakes, Chris finds himself trapped between two nightmarish forces—a grave robber and a vengeful demon—and like the cemetery guardians of old, he must defeat both or end up a corpse himself and cursed for all eternity
349 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2017
2 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Ivan Blake
6 books25 followersI was born in a small village in England and emigrated to Canada with my parents when I was five. I grew up on Navy bases from coast to coast and attended 16 schools before I completed grade eleven. I briefly enlisted in the military and then completed undergraduate studies in Nova Scotia. I enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Chicago and went on to teach in universities in Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia for fifteen years before joining the Federal Public Service. I have consulted and lectured all over the world and now travel purely for pleasure. I have two sons, a lovely wife and a gorgeous home in Ottawa, Canada. I enjoy water gardening, wine and most of all, my granddaughter.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 26, 2022
This book was completely amazing!!!!! I didn’t want to put this book down!! The town of bemishstock was a small town in the state of Maine and the chief of police hated Chris Chandler right from the start. Every time something horrible happened like a suicide or someone got harassed chief Boucher blamed Chris, even though he had an alibi. The chief even concealed evidence to make sure Chris went to jail for crimes he didn’t commit. I hope everyone who sees this review reads this book because it’s that good. They is some gross and creepy parts but I promise you. Your going to love it!!!
February 25, 2023
I had to DNF about 73% in. Started out pretty good and quickly deteriorated into a trite, poorly written, cliched-filled bore with incredibly annoying, cardboard characters and silly dialogue. Just wasn't worth the effort to slog through to the finish since it only got worse the more I read. Didn't care what happened to any of them.
September 22, 2022
Couldn't be more excited to discover a trilogy like this heading into spooky season! It is definitely a page-turner and a refreshing take on books involving the undead. The characters are already so well developed and I can't wait to follow Chris as he deals with even more craziness in the next two. Definitely a must-read for fans of horror!
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April 3, 2023After getting through 50% of this and struggling at that point I have decided to just DNF this one. I struggled with this one because the storyline was a bit wonky and some things just weren't adding up to me. I think If I would have been more invested in the storyline I could have finished. But alas, it just wasn't the one for me.
October 29, 2017
Chris Chandler has problems. As a seventeen year old boy, his problems are just getting started. Chris' family has just moved to the small town of Bemishstock, Maine in the autumn of 1985. Wherever Chris and his family move, they can count on being unpopular. Chris' father works for a company that closes down factories. They are in Bemishstock to close down an Allied Paper Products plant, where most of the town works. Chris is used to putting up a front since everyone in town usually hates him. Things in Bemishstock start out as usual, students hate him teachers hate him, the local cops try to blame Chris for every mishap in town. However, Chris does manage to get friendly with several locals including Gillian, the girl who Chris' family rents from and the popular Mallory Dahlman. Chris has taken to hanging out in the local graveyard at night and witnesses some strange happenings in the small town, including possible grave robbing. As his relationship with Mallory intensifies, he learns some disturbing facts about her as well. Chris finds that small town life isn't so quaint and that his girl troubles might be worse after the girl is dead.
Dead Scared grabbed my attention from the prologue and then wrapped me in a slow burn of suspense throughout the rest of the story. Chris' situation paired with the strange small town feel gave an ominous tone from the beginning. All of the characters in the tightly-knit Blemishstock community popped with personality; Chris definitely entered this town as a black sheep. Mallory quickly peaked my interest; from the outside, she was miss perfect, however with her interest in Torajan burial rituals and spells it was clear there was something darker going on. I was surprised that more people didn't catch on to her games. The Goatman, or Dr. Meath was another nefarious force, a doctor and a grave robber, his deeds gave Chris something to set right and a path with the ancient order of the Mortsafmen. There were plenty of mysteries that Chris was determined to solve and danger that he brought to himself. I loved that this story was set in the 1980's where rumors, gossip and letters were used to spread information instead of technology. In the end, Chris was left in a precarious situation and I would love to know what happens next.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Dead Scared grabbed my attention from the prologue and then wrapped me in a slow burn of suspense throughout the rest of the story. Chris' situation paired with the strange small town feel gave an ominous tone from the beginning. All of the characters in the tightly-knit Blemishstock community popped with personality; Chris definitely entered this town as a black sheep. Mallory quickly peaked my interest; from the outside, she was miss perfect, however with her interest in Torajan burial rituals and spells it was clear there was something darker going on. I was surprised that more people didn't catch on to her games. The Goatman, or Dr. Meath was another nefarious force, a doctor and a grave robber, his deeds gave Chris something to set right and a path with the ancient order of the Mortsafmen. There were plenty of mysteries that Chris was determined to solve and danger that he brought to himself. I loved that this story was set in the 1980's where rumors, gossip and letters were used to spread information instead of technology. In the end, Chris was left in a precarious situation and I would love to know what happens next.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
August 30, 2019
Ivan Blake has written a gripping thriller which smoothly evolves into a horror tale one shouldn't read late at night. Chris Chandler is a high school student in Maine who has trouble fitting into the small mill town of Bemishstock. He tells himself the primary reason for it is his father's role of corporate hatchet man, there to close the underperforming paper mill. However attitude counts and Chris finds he has few friends in the town. But when the most popular girl in school begins to show an interest, things seem to be headed in the right direction. Chris soon learns there is more to it than he imagines. As Chris navigates the obstacles he faces true evil, in both the spiritual and material realms. Can he prevent his adversaries from hurting those he truly loves?
Dead Scared had me picking it up to read just a few more pages minutes after putting it down. The story is well written and tightly edited to present a compelling narrative. Ivan Blake's characters, especially those supporting Chris, have depth and substance. Those in opposition have reasons to behave the way they do, even if the reasons aren't particularly good ones. A reader can easily place themselves within the day-to-day environment of a clannish small town and visualize the setting. The concept of Mortsafemen, guardians or safe keepers of the dead, was deftly woven into the tapestry without overwhelming the plot. As a result, the series is well positioned to extend the story in what will surely be interesting ways.
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite
Dead Scared had me picking it up to read just a few more pages minutes after putting it down. The story is well written and tightly edited to present a compelling narrative. Ivan Blake's characters, especially those supporting Chris, have depth and substance. Those in opposition have reasons to behave the way they do, even if the reasons aren't particularly good ones. A reader can easily place themselves within the day-to-day environment of a clannish small town and visualize the setting. The concept of Mortsafemen, guardians or safe keepers of the dead, was deftly woven into the tapestry without overwhelming the plot. As a result, the series is well positioned to extend the story in what will surely be interesting ways.
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite
November 16, 2022
This book was tough for me to rate because it had all the makings of something great but it fell apart for me. I absolutely loved the first chapter and I was sucked in immediately. However, the remainder of the book seems to rewind and set up what we see in the first chapter so the story I was hooked by was not continued. I thought the horrors that Chris faced were so well written and the difficulty of what to do when you're trying to protect people in a town that hates you and no one believes what you're saying. I already have the second book so I will read it and see if these cons are resolved as this was book was primarily a set up for the trilogy.
Cons:
What I couldn't really work with was the usage of an indigenous indonesian culture to explain why the main antagonist is evil. It ran into the "savage native" stereotypes for me and just felt icky in general. (To my knowledge the author is not part of this ethnic group and I could only find a small amount of info posted on his blog.)
The treatment of queer characters in the book is terrible to say the least. They are all punished by the town for being queer and there is no acknowledgement of such or even importance of their sexuality outside of their suffering.
There is so much focus on these teenage girl's breasts, I rolled my eyes the 3rd, 5th and millionth time they were mentioned. It was basically like people were hypnotized by this child's chest. It was too much.
There were also mentions of incest between the only explicitly stated POC characters ...
Disclaimer: I received a gifted finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cons:
What I couldn't really work with was the usage of an indigenous indonesian culture to explain why the main antagonist is evil. It ran into the "savage native" stereotypes for me and just felt icky in general. (To my knowledge the author is not part of this ethnic group and I could only find a small amount of info posted on his blog.)
The treatment of queer characters in the book is terrible to say the least. They are all punished by the town for being queer and there is no acknowledgement of such or even importance of their sexuality outside of their suffering.
There is so much focus on these teenage girl's breasts, I rolled my eyes the 3rd, 5th and millionth time they were mentioned. It was basically like people were hypnotized by this child's chest. It was too much.
There were also mentions of incest between the only explicitly stated POC characters ...
Disclaimer: I received a gifted finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 2, 2017
Dead Scared: The Mortsafeman by Ivan Blake was a unique novel that I found enjoyable. Chris Chandler went from an ordinary 17 year old to a 17 year old forced to face off against a a grave robber and a vengeful demon. I personally enjoyed the way Chris developed as a character during the story and the end was very well written.
October 11, 2022
A very well-constructed novel, with events (and his own nature) leading the protagonist deeper and deeper. From the horrors of being an unpopular teenager to much much worse, the plot advances seamlessly. Chris Chandler is faced with growing challenges, with his own flaws and strengths coming into play. I'm looking forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy.
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December 22, 2023The first chapter is set in an institution for troubled kids. We meet the main character and his demon friend(?). One or the other rips the ear and the side of a kid's face off and then threw it across the room. I didn't get any further than that.
The first chapter wasn't badly written, but there was too much gore for me. DNF
The first chapter wasn't badly written, but there was too much gore for me. DNF
October 18, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Speaking Volumes for the copy of Dead Scared. This was not the book for me. Gruesome and disturbing made it hard to read and finish. If you like supernatural stories that are graphic, you will love this book, especially around Halloween.
December 14, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Great horror novel. Gave me some thrills and scared and was very well written. Looking forward to reading more from this author after this book.
Great horror novel. Gave me some thrills and scared and was very well written. Looking forward to reading more from this author after this book.
November 15, 2017
If you haven't read this book by now you really should. Very interesting book! Well written and thought out. How one's mind can come together with a story like this is completely remarkable!
October 21, 2022
Teenager Chris Chandler finds himself in the middle of a town with some problems: a grave robber, supernatural cults, demons. While I didn't love this one, it was different enough from my usual reads to keep me interested. However, at times I kept wishing we'd get to the point already. Definitely a nice change of pace from the usual psychological thrillers, but I probably won't be rushing out for the next in the Mortsafemen Trilogy.
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Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of Dead Scared.
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Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of Dead Scared.
September 21, 2022
A truly unforgettable novel! I could hardly put this book down! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I can't wait to read more about Chris in the next book!
November 27, 2017
"Dead Scared" is the first book in "The Mortsafeman" series by Ivan Blake. It is about Chris Chandler who moves to Bemishstock, Maine in 1985 and the unlikely events that happen there.
Let me start out by saying that I did enjoy this book. I liked it to the point where I hope I can continue on with the series and see what happens to Chris next. When I first read the description of the book, however, I thought it was going to be a bit more paranormal than it ended up being. So while I was initially confused, I ended up liking it anyway.
Chris is an outsider in the town. His family is there to close a plant that gives jobs to most of the residents, so naturally the people in town aren't fans of Chris or his family. However, Chris is used to this behavior and has learned to put up his own walls and embrace his outsider status. In Bemishstock, though, his walls start to come down. The popular and pretty Mallory decides that she is interested in Chris, so he becomes involved with her instead of staying to himself. However, things aren't what they seem with Mallory. While she displays herself as perky and perfect to the world, Chris soon finds that Mallory has a darker side that he was not expecting.
Mallory isn't the only one to peak Chris' interest. One night he sees the man who he dubs as "The Goat Man" riding a strange bicycle down the tracks behind his house and decides to follow him. The Goat Man is the main antagonist in this book who causes Chris problems that set the story in motion. I would have liked to know a bit more about him, however. Chris finds him doing experiments, but there isn't too much detail or explanation on what exactly the experiments are. I was a bit confused as to what The Goat Man was doing, and would have liked a bit more explanation.
Since it is the first book of a series, one section of the story is wrapped up while other questions remain. I look forward to reading on and getting those answers.
Let me start out by saying that I did enjoy this book. I liked it to the point where I hope I can continue on with the series and see what happens to Chris next. When I first read the description of the book, however, I thought it was going to be a bit more paranormal than it ended up being. So while I was initially confused, I ended up liking it anyway.
Chris is an outsider in the town. His family is there to close a plant that gives jobs to most of the residents, so naturally the people in town aren't fans of Chris or his family. However, Chris is used to this behavior and has learned to put up his own walls and embrace his outsider status. In Bemishstock, though, his walls start to come down. The popular and pretty Mallory decides that she is interested in Chris, so he becomes involved with her instead of staying to himself. However, things aren't what they seem with Mallory. While she displays herself as perky and perfect to the world, Chris soon finds that Mallory has a darker side that he was not expecting.
Mallory isn't the only one to peak Chris' interest. One night he sees the man who he dubs as "The Goat Man" riding a strange bicycle down the tracks behind his house and decides to follow him. The Goat Man is the main antagonist in this book who causes Chris problems that set the story in motion. I would have liked to know a bit more about him, however. Chris finds him doing experiments, but there isn't too much detail or explanation on what exactly the experiments are. I was a bit confused as to what The Goat Man was doing, and would have liked a bit more explanation.
Since it is the first book of a series, one section of the story is wrapped up while other questions remain. I look forward to reading on and getting those answers.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews