Deadline

by John Wayne Comunale

Cody Burns is a voice actor who lucked into his dream gig. He works from home, sets his own schedule, and parties every night like the ship is going down. So what if he’s a little late turning work in to his agent every once in a while? He’s got the golden pipes and is in demand. When a competing agent contacts him out of the blue with a once in a lifetime offer and the answer to getting out from under the thumb of his current representation, Cody is more than intrigued.

The mysterious agent takes care of his every whim keeping Cody happy, on task, and working hard. The only caveat being he cannot miss a deadline without having certain and specific penalties levied against him. It all seems well and good until he discovers the job is filled with mounting degrees of difficulty that challenge his talent, sanity, and the time constraints he’s given.

Following threats, vandalism, and the death of an actress whose story strangely mirrors his, he realizes working with the new agent is not what he expected especially when missing the next deadline could be the end of the line for him.

Genres: Horror

252 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2022

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m completely vibing this author lately. Fresh ideas and solid executions. All in the name of horror. Gotta appreciate that. And this was exactly that. An audiobook narrator, Cody, is held prisoner in his own house by a deranged client. Each assignment is more intense than the last and there seems to be no end to the torture that he’s being put through. I won’t spoil anything, but it is a nail-biting experience. And Cody is deeply flawed, but you feel much empathy for his plight here. The story had a great flow and a wonderful, twisted, and completely fresh set of circumstances. The ending with Gwen and the courier reminded me of the end of the movie Seven, making me cringe. But that was a fabulous finale. Beyond that, and my only and biggest critique, is that I didn’t care for the ending. After the aforementioned high point, the very ending just lost me. Like all this wonderful build-up and anticipation, and it just went flat. I wanted something more than what I got. But, despite one singular issue, I loved everything else about the book.

[Horror Bookworm Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror Bookworm Reviews
Deadline by John Wayne Comunale
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

Cody is a talented voiceover artist who narrates books as a career. As a performer honing a craft, his acting and impressions landed his skills with a talent service. Not necessarily happy with his present employment along with a relationship breakup and a bruised ego, Cody’s life seems to be at an all-time low. Then a mysterious job offer arrives that seems to good to be true. After signing on the dotted line and beginning his new project of audio recording, the workloads increase and the deadlines become more difficult to meet. Infractions of these punctual demands become more and more severe, to the point of unthinkable extreme punishments.

John Wayne Comunale has exceeded his own talent with the release of Deadline. He allows the reader to partake in a rather special kind of contract with hidden clauses and terms that seem to be out of the realm of horrific possibility. John Wayne provides an unlimited amount of cringe worthy moments always leading to a constant anticipation of the next chapter. The word “demise” comes to mind as empathy for the main character and his surreal surroundings become very real.

Tense dialogue and a context of dread create plenty of dark junctures that seem to have an eerie nonfiction vibe. Following in the footsteps of Stephen King’s Quitters Inc, the narrative of Deadline is a grueling journey leading up to a highly anticipated ending that would leave David Fincher speechless. I usually take notes as I’m reading a book for my review…ya know it’s good when you forget to jot down your thoughts. This is John Wayne Comunale at his best and comes with the highest of recommendations.

Reading and understanding the “fine print” is essential when entering a contract, beware the breach and its penalties. Listen to the clicking of the Metronome, the sound is a representation of your countdown to carnage. So grab your eyeliner, give it a good smear and get your John Wayne on. A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.

[Russell Holbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book so much that I was really sad when it ended, even though I was reading it compulsively to find out what was going to happen next, and because I was having so much fun reading it. Afterwards, it took me a bit to decide what to read next. I almost just reread this instead of trying to pick something else, but then I decided to wait a while and go back to it another time. Anyway, I loved it. John Wayne Comunale is definitely one of my favorite writers and this is one of my favorties by him!

[Tony Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite JWC books, hands down. He’s an amazing writer with a knack for telling stories in just the right way. This one, to me, gave off strong King vibes (think The Ledge or Everything’s Eventual), but done in his own voice and way. Always looking forward to what’s next from JWC.

I highly recommend this book!

[Jason Nickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The newest from Communale is his best so far IMO. Really cool concept and executed well. The story was made even better by his narration.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that old saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"? Well, I'll bet Cody wished he had heeded that warning. I know we've all had our fair share of demanding, hard to please bosses, but I think Cody's new employer might just take the cake.

Deadline is the best book I've read in quite a while. I mainly read horror and found this story to be unlike anything I've ever read, which is refreshing. Deadline touches on several of my own personal fears which made this one all the more horrifying. I won't tell you which those are, you'll have to read it and guess for yourself!

I had the absolute pleasure of listening to the audio version which is read (fantastically) by the author. (It's a book about an audiobook narrator, how could I NOT listen.) Reading this one in audio gave this story a special sort of immersiveness which I highly recommend!

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy Comunale's work and this isn't any different, think it might be my favorite from him. Burns is a voice actor working from home, though his latest assignment is driving him nuts and his contract with his agent is ironclad. However he gets contacted by a mysterious man who says he can get him out of his contract if he agrees to do a book for his client. Not only that, the money involved is life changing, the only catch was he had definite deadlines and would be penalized for missing them. He readily signed the contract only to find out that the penalties were a lot more dire than he could ever realize.

Highly recommended, just an engaging read and does a great job telling the story while giving you glimpses through news accounts of an actress that seemed to be involved with the same mysterious client.

[Deborah]

Wow so the real horror is the editing 😱 I struggled through 11 pages of grammar errors and poorly constructed sentences and then was stopped in my tracks by the word rapport... spelled as repour. I am truly disturbed 😭

[Leslee W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a JWC book but it will certainly not be my last! Deadline drew me right in and I simply could not put it down…. an absolute nail-biting page turner! JWC paints a story so vividly that I could actually feel everything the main character was going through! Can’t wait to get my hands on ALL of his other books. He’s definitely gained a new fan!

[Stephen Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man this book gave me anxiety. Those Deadlines!! Great read, with an intriguing mysterious plot and a character who you want to root for. Felt nervous through-out but in a way that put a smile on my face. Another great book from John Wayne who always seems to come up with something unique and interesting.

[Camryn DiCostanzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely couldn’t put it down. I got 6 pages in when I started yesterday, then i read the whole book in like an hour and a half today. Story was absolutely messed up in the best of ways, a gruesome psychological thriller that isn’t for everyone.

However, part of me just wants to know more. Like who even is Gerevil? Who’s Perry? What was the fallout of someone from lower standing than Harriett Pratt being disembowled in his fucked up entryway of his house with his burned down car? How was Perry able to do all this at the proper times — was it a supernatural entity, was he sleeping in the van, was he always on the premises?

This is why we have home cameras, people…

Creepy stuff, I loved it. Only gave it a 4/5 because I literally need to know more. I’m so unsatisfied by the ending, but the book itself was great.

[Jonathan Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a wild trip of a book. This was my first John Wayne book, but he mentioned it was one of his favorites, and I can see why. It reads like an episode of the Twilight Zone on steroids. I had a difficult time putting it down, as I wanted to keep reading. Looking forward to picking up another of his books and diving in.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Of the books I've read by Comunale this one is my favorite to date.

A twisted little tale that makes you realize that although you may think the situation you're in sucks, it could always be worse. And when you're presented with something that looks like a dream come true, it's probably a nightmare in disguise.

[Ally Bun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly felt the anxiety from the "Deadline" of this book. I was really rushing through the end like Cody was. There is no big blatant gore or horror here, just this constant sense of dread in every page. I just wish the end wasnt so brick walled but to each their own.

[D.J. James · Rating 5 out of 5]

First

[I live in your walls (real) (go check) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh h e l l yeah Batmannnnnnnnn 💯💯💯

[Aaron Lebold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadline. My anxiety went up with every chapter. This was a great book and really put me in the same place as Cody the voice actor. I will definitely check out more of John Wayne’s books.

[Richard Ewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun quick listen with terrific narration by the author John Wayne, kind of a twist on decent into madness story with fast paced thrilling moments.

[Lauren Fitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars

[Daniel Lorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining tale which will keep you on the edge of your seat!
'Deadline' was my first read from the author, and I look forward to checking out more of his work.
Brilliantly done, nerve-shattering and brutal!

[Tenika Clemmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely great book. I found this author at a horror on named Scarefest. I honestly would have never found this author or read his works but am I so glad I did. This book had me hooked from page 3. Such great twists and turns to keep you hooked and guessing. Highly recommend.