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Dead Beat
Haven, Population: 2000. A place where Johnny sleepwalks the beat, counting down the hours to the end of another police shift. Burying the secret deeper. But this is the day the world ends. The infection has spread unchecked, and now the dead have domain. Johnny is thrown into a fight to survive. The shattered community around him willing to do anything to stay alive. But as putrefacted bodies close in, it's the villager's rotten hearts he begins to fear the most ... And beyond them the puppetmasters who started it all. With a foreword written by award-winning author of Domain of the Dead.
242 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 9, 2011
Johnny Silverman is a policeman in a small town in rural England when the dead begin to rise. The reader is provided with a minor hint as to why this has happened, but for the most part, the plague that has caused the dead to come back to life is a mystery as we watch a few select people turning into zombies before all hell breaks loose across the countryside. Johnny is checking things out in a store when a woman inside attacks him. He narrowly escapes with his life and manages to get back to the police station, where Summer, a support officer, and Lester, the town drunk, barricade themselves inside while things go to hell quickly outdoors. At the same time, Jack Nation, a farmer, and his son Griffin, are coming to grips with this new plague as well. But despite the horrors they face, them seem more than willing to take advantage of the situation and bring many of the survivors together to build a fence around the town to prevent more of the dead from entering the area as they clear out the the undead from the town and surrounding region.
As Johnny and his compatriots start to sort things out in town, Jack and his son begin to thrive in a thuggish new world they have created, which doesn't need the likes of people like Johnny and the laws he tries to enforce. Given that most of the people in town have fearfully thrown in with Jack, there is little that Johnny can do as the farmer becomes more and more willing to enforce his own laws and rules, ruthlessly if needed, to keep everyone following his orders.
Dead Beat is a fairly accurate title for this book, because Johnny has no beat anymore-the town is no longer his, and since Summer and him are the only remaining law enforcement personnel, they are seen as a threat to the new order. On the few occasions that he attempts to step in and assert himself as an authority, it doesn't go over too well, and at one point I was shocked at how willing he was to give in to the demands of Jack and his depraved son. The author does a good job of giving Johnny a real human side to him. He doesn't strike me as much of a hero, just a guy trying to hold things together and survive with both the dead and the living threatening him at every turn. And until things really fall apart for him, he doesn't make a huge effort to stop Jack in his depraved ways, and by then, it seems clear that it will all end in tears for just about everyone still alive.
The author switches from third to first person, with the sections of the book with Johnny in them being told from his perspective. The story flows well from one perspective to the other and that wasn't an issue for me. I do pride myself on being able to pick up on British slang for the most part as an American reader, but even so, it was a bit tough in places to know with one hundred percent accuracy what the author was saying. I don't say that as a deterrent, because the language variations don't detract from the story at all, they just forced me to pay a bit closer attention. All in all, this was a good zombie story with compelling characters. As is my tendency, I prefer character driven zombie stories, and this one definitely falls into that category. Johnny isn't a hero by any stretch, and reveals tidbits about himself throughout the story that made it clear that he is most assuredly human and has tremendous weaknesses and even a dark side that reveals itself near the end of the tale. And despite the filthy depraved nature of Griffin and Jack, I can still see where the farmer had probably once been a good man and in his own screwed up mind was doing a good thing for the people of the community by building the fence that keeps the undead out. Lester, the town drunk who ends up sobering up in time, is another character who grew on me and proved that he wasn't one dimensional as he transformed into someone fighting to discover the cause of the plague.
Overall, an entertaining zombie read that was definitely satisfying. Plenty of gore, plenty of action, and most importantly for me, plenty of characters that kept the story interesting from beginning to end.
As Johnny and his compatriots start to sort things out in town, Jack and his son begin to thrive in a thuggish new world they have created, which doesn't need the likes of people like Johnny and the laws he tries to enforce. Given that most of the people in town have fearfully thrown in with Jack, there is little that Johnny can do as the farmer becomes more and more willing to enforce his own laws and rules, ruthlessly if needed, to keep everyone following his orders.
Dead Beat is a fairly accurate title for this book, because Johnny has no beat anymore-the town is no longer his, and since Summer and him are the only remaining law enforcement personnel, they are seen as a threat to the new order. On the few occasions that he attempts to step in and assert himself as an authority, it doesn't go over too well, and at one point I was shocked at how willing he was to give in to the demands of Jack and his depraved son. The author does a good job of giving Johnny a real human side to him. He doesn't strike me as much of a hero, just a guy trying to hold things together and survive with both the dead and the living threatening him at every turn. And until things really fall apart for him, he doesn't make a huge effort to stop Jack in his depraved ways, and by then, it seems clear that it will all end in tears for just about everyone still alive.
The author switches from third to first person, with the sections of the book with Johnny in them being told from his perspective. The story flows well from one perspective to the other and that wasn't an issue for me. I do pride myself on being able to pick up on British slang for the most part as an American reader, but even so, it was a bit tough in places to know with one hundred percent accuracy what the author was saying. I don't say that as a deterrent, because the language variations don't detract from the story at all, they just forced me to pay a bit closer attention. All in all, this was a good zombie story with compelling characters. As is my tendency, I prefer character driven zombie stories, and this one definitely falls into that category. Johnny isn't a hero by any stretch, and reveals tidbits about himself throughout the story that made it clear that he is most assuredly human and has tremendous weaknesses and even a dark side that reveals itself near the end of the tale. And despite the filthy depraved nature of Griffin and Jack, I can still see where the farmer had probably once been a good man and in his own screwed up mind was doing a good thing for the people of the community by building the fence that keeps the undead out. Lester, the town drunk who ends up sobering up in time, is another character who grew on me and proved that he wasn't one dimensional as he transformed into someone fighting to discover the cause of the plague.
Overall, an entertaining zombie read that was definitely satisfying. Plenty of gore, plenty of action, and most importantly for me, plenty of characters that kept the story interesting from beginning to end.
May 13, 2011
This novel was, at the best of times, a horrifying read. As a good horror story should, it made my skin crawl and my stomach turn, but not for the reasons you would think. It wasn’t because it was so gruesome; in fact, there was little gore described. It was the living that made this story so hard to read and so difficult to stomach.
It was amazing to me that somehow, in the middle of a chapter with lots of action, the protagonists suddenly figured out that they were dealing with zombies. What I mean by this is, in just about every other novel about zombies I’ve read, the protagonist(s) had no idea what they were dealing with. It usually takes some time before they figured out how to kill the zombies effectively, after some sort of hysteria has passed. This never happened with Porter’s characters. It seemed as though, one second, the characters didn’t understand what was going on; then mere sentences later, they knew if they were bitten, they’d be dead, and head shots were the only way to take out the shambling corpses their friends had become. As the story progressed, I was interested to find the characters referring to zombie movies they had seen or novels they had read when things were “normal”. Because of this exposure, everyone seemed well equipped to handle the mental trauma of a deadly viral outbreak that turned their friends and family into walking corpses.
I was also terribly disappointed to find that within this short book of less than 250 pages, there was at least one instance of implied non-consensual sex. It is my personal opinion that in a story so short it is completely unnecessary to feature sex in the plotline, regardless of whether or not it is consensual. If this were a story of typical teenagers being chased by zombies, I could almost understand it. However, in one instance, it was a grown man whose wife had recently died, telling a woman his son had rescued the same day that they all “need to earn” their keep. A second instance leads us to believe that this man’s son is having intercourse with female zombies he has caught and tied up in their garage. “Shock” was the mildest of the emotions I felt upon reading these passages; “disgust” is a little closer.
As I continued reading, I discovered what was making my distaste for the story grow. The story is about the worst in humanity, rearing it’s ugly head when the “normal” world we live in deteriorates. Granted, in a world full of zombies, barely anything is all sunshine and rainbows. I had hoped this story would be about people banding together in a time of need, when everyone is vulnerable and scared; it’s more about the strongest few using the weak to further their own goals and secure their safety and comfort.
I found as I continued reading, the characters became less flat, but no more likable. Even at the very end, people were going out of their way to do things that were morally reprehensible just because they were afraid of what would happen to them if they didn’t. Deciding to go after the ones that had brought this apocalypse upon them, the people of the village band together, their like-minded feelings of hate and anger fueling their zealous rage. Learning the secret the main character had been carrying around was not a shock; in fact, it left me feeling disturbed that someone who had been riding such a moral high horse the entire novel had done something so horrible to someone so close to him.
All in all, I cannot say I enjoyed reading this book. The reason for the zombies was clear right from the beginning, so there was never any twist or shock for me. I had a hard time finding any reason to like the characters, and the ones I did feel some sort of affection for either died or committed horrible acts that made me dislike them. If the author’s intent was to write a story about people doing horrible things to one another, during a time when they should be helping each other to survive instead, then I say, “Congratulations. Mission: Accomplished.”
It was amazing to me that somehow, in the middle of a chapter with lots of action, the protagonists suddenly figured out that they were dealing with zombies. What I mean by this is, in just about every other novel about zombies I’ve read, the protagonist(s) had no idea what they were dealing with. It usually takes some time before they figured out how to kill the zombies effectively, after some sort of hysteria has passed. This never happened with Porter’s characters. It seemed as though, one second, the characters didn’t understand what was going on; then mere sentences later, they knew if they were bitten, they’d be dead, and head shots were the only way to take out the shambling corpses their friends had become. As the story progressed, I was interested to find the characters referring to zombie movies they had seen or novels they had read when things were “normal”. Because of this exposure, everyone seemed well equipped to handle the mental trauma of a deadly viral outbreak that turned their friends and family into walking corpses.
I was also terribly disappointed to find that within this short book of less than 250 pages, there was at least one instance of implied non-consensual sex. It is my personal opinion that in a story so short it is completely unnecessary to feature sex in the plotline, regardless of whether or not it is consensual. If this were a story of typical teenagers being chased by zombies, I could almost understand it. However, in one instance, it was a grown man whose wife had recently died, telling a woman his son had rescued the same day that they all “need to earn” their keep. A second instance leads us to believe that this man’s son is having intercourse with female zombies he has caught and tied up in their garage. “Shock” was the mildest of the emotions I felt upon reading these passages; “disgust” is a little closer.
As I continued reading, I discovered what was making my distaste for the story grow. The story is about the worst in humanity, rearing it’s ugly head when the “normal” world we live in deteriorates. Granted, in a world full of zombies, barely anything is all sunshine and rainbows. I had hoped this story would be about people banding together in a time of need, when everyone is vulnerable and scared; it’s more about the strongest few using the weak to further their own goals and secure their safety and comfort.
I found as I continued reading, the characters became less flat, but no more likable. Even at the very end, people were going out of their way to do things that were morally reprehensible just because they were afraid of what would happen to them if they didn’t. Deciding to go after the ones that had brought this apocalypse upon them, the people of the village band together, their like-minded feelings of hate and anger fueling their zealous rage. Learning the secret the main character had been carrying around was not a shock; in fact, it left me feeling disturbed that someone who had been riding such a moral high horse the entire novel had done something so horrible to someone so close to him.
All in all, I cannot say I enjoyed reading this book. The reason for the zombies was clear right from the beginning, so there was never any twist or shock for me. I had a hard time finding any reason to like the characters, and the ones I did feel some sort of affection for either died or committed horrible acts that made me dislike them. If the author’s intent was to write a story about people doing horrible things to one another, during a time when they should be helping each other to survive instead, then I say, “Congratulations. Mission: Accomplished.”
Read
March 10, 2011When zombies attack, the small town of Haven, population 2000, is on its own. Police officer Johnny Silverman does what he can to safeguard the populace and maintain law and order. After a fence is built around the entire town, and the zombies inside have been eradicated, it seems that everyone is safe, if not comfortable. But there is a rift among the people of Haven. Not everyone agrees on the best way to live. And soon, the monsters outside the fence begin to pale in comparison to those on the inside.
Zombie books are a dime a dozen. The permeate bookstore shelves. An author needs a unique approach to get noticed, whether it's the talking, driving zombies in Brian Keene's The Rising or a mash-up like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. What’s different here is that the zombies of Dead Beat are window dressing. This story could have taken place in the midst of a nuclear war or natural disaster. The real horror here is the human horror. It's the story of the breakdown of civilization; those who attempt to keep the world on track, and those who wish to take advantage of a terrifying situation. The zombie apocalypse brings out the true nature of the characters, and sometimes that is more frightening than the flesh-eating corpses shambling around, trying to eat your brains.
Remy Porter tells a fine tale of the collapse of the known world. The characters are more than cookie cutter survivors- they have distinct personalities. There is growth here. And there are twists, and one hell of an interesting ending. Purists need not :worry, there is plenty of bloody zombie goodness. Dead Beat isn't the greatest zombie novel out there, but reading it isn't a bad way to spend an afternoon.
Contains: Sex, violence, and strong language
Reviewed by: Erik Smith
Zombie books are a dime a dozen. The permeate bookstore shelves. An author needs a unique approach to get noticed, whether it's the talking, driving zombies in Brian Keene's The Rising or a mash-up like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. What’s different here is that the zombies of Dead Beat are window dressing. This story could have taken place in the midst of a nuclear war or natural disaster. The real horror here is the human horror. It's the story of the breakdown of civilization; those who attempt to keep the world on track, and those who wish to take advantage of a terrifying situation. The zombie apocalypse brings out the true nature of the characters, and sometimes that is more frightening than the flesh-eating corpses shambling around, trying to eat your brains.
Remy Porter tells a fine tale of the collapse of the known world. The characters are more than cookie cutter survivors- they have distinct personalities. There is growth here. And there are twists, and one hell of an interesting ending. Purists need not :worry, there is plenty of bloody zombie goodness. Dead Beat isn't the greatest zombie novel out there, but reading it isn't a bad way to spend an afternoon.
Contains: Sex, violence, and strong language
Reviewed by: Erik Smith
July 12, 2016
Well, I was up way past my bedtime last night finishing this book. And as the clock ticked away and our erstwhile hero, copper Johnny Silverman kept getting himself from one situation into the other, I kept thinking to myself, why can't this guy just die?" In the end Johnny seemed to become like Teflon Don, with nothing much sticking to him, but the people around him dropping like flies.
I thoroughly enjoyed this zombified tale - it moves quickly and violently, and really showcases the idea that we are the true monsters. I felt the first two-thirds of the book was really quite strong, but there seemed to be a lack of cohesion and an 'everything but the kitchen sink and maybe some flamingoes' feel towards the end of the book that took away a little of my enjoyment.
A bloody good read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this zombified tale - it moves quickly and violently, and really showcases the idea that we are the true monsters. I felt the first two-thirds of the book was really quite strong, but there seemed to be a lack of cohesion and an 'everything but the kitchen sink and maybe some flamingoes' feel towards the end of the book that took away a little of my enjoyment.
A bloody good read.
August 25, 2014
‘Dead Beat’ has lots of action and gore along with some twists and turns along the way. You also have the dichotomy of our main characters fighting both zombies and other humans. If this book seems to follow a similar pattern to other zombie books you’ve read that would be because it does. While it doesn’t offer anything else to the genre (other than being set in the UK for all you anglophiles) it’s well written and fun.
October 3, 2014
have mixed feelings about this book. It has some things going for it, but I didn't personally enjoy it too much as there are also a few negative points.
Good points:
1) The setting is unusual for a zombie story: a small village in the UK.
2) There is quite a lot of action, even if phrases like "the zombies attacked like demented flamingos" are used!
3) The story is entertaining enough to keep interesting.
4) The interactions between the two groups of survivors maintain the pace of the story, although that does side-line the zombies a bit.
Bad points:
1) The dialogue between characters is pretty poor a lot of the time.
2) The action jumps between 1st and 3rd person. Comments elsewhere suggest that the main character's viewpoint is given in the 1st person and the other characters are described in the 3rd person, but this isn't true. I found this pretty annoying but some people think it makes the action seem more exciting.
3) There are quite a few grammatical errors, typos etc. Some comments on other reviews suggest that this is unique to the Kindle version, but my paperback contained quite a few mistakes. It's not the worst book in this regard, but it certainly needs better proof reading.
4) The last section of the book seems rushed and the explanation for the zombie outbreak is fairly ridiculous.
5) The epilogue doesn't really fit with the rest of the story. It was a completely different style and I didn't really understand what was going on.
All in all, not the best book I've read, but worth a look if you're a zombie fan.
Good points:
1) The setting is unusual for a zombie story: a small village in the UK.
2) There is quite a lot of action, even if phrases like "the zombies attacked like demented flamingos" are used!
3) The story is entertaining enough to keep interesting.
4) The interactions between the two groups of survivors maintain the pace of the story, although that does side-line the zombies a bit.
Bad points:
1) The dialogue between characters is pretty poor a lot of the time.
2) The action jumps between 1st and 3rd person. Comments elsewhere suggest that the main character's viewpoint is given in the 1st person and the other characters are described in the 3rd person, but this isn't true. I found this pretty annoying but some people think it makes the action seem more exciting.
3) There are quite a few grammatical errors, typos etc. Some comments on other reviews suggest that this is unique to the Kindle version, but my paperback contained quite a few mistakes. It's not the worst book in this regard, but it certainly needs better proof reading.
4) The last section of the book seems rushed and the explanation for the zombie outbreak is fairly ridiculous.
5) The epilogue doesn't really fit with the rest of the story. It was a completely different style and I didn't really understand what was going on.
All in all, not the best book I've read, but worth a look if you're a zombie fan.
October 25, 2014
After reading all the positive reviews I thought I'd try just one more zombie book.
The kindle seems awash with zombie stories but this novel uses the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse to actually venture into the human heart of darkness. You could take the zombies out of the story and still have a very good book. The basic premise is that a local village copper finds himself fighting an army of zombies. The survivors band together but soon end up fighting each other. At times I was reminded of Lord Of The Flies but with a gory flavour. Full marks to Remy Porter for using the zombie theme to actually say something about human nature. My only criticism would be the odd epilogue that doesn't seem to quite fit in with the rest of the book. But please take a chance with this book as I'm sure you'll find it worthwhile.
The kindle seems awash with zombie stories but this novel uses the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse to actually venture into the human heart of darkness. You could take the zombies out of the story and still have a very good book. The basic premise is that a local village copper finds himself fighting an army of zombies. The survivors band together but soon end up fighting each other. At times I was reminded of Lord Of The Flies but with a gory flavour. Full marks to Remy Porter for using the zombie theme to actually say something about human nature. My only criticism would be the odd epilogue that doesn't seem to quite fit in with the rest of the book. But please take a chance with this book as I'm sure you'll find it worthwhile.
March 4, 2014
This is a hard hitting action packed honest to goodness blood guts and gore zombie horror. Right from the very beginning I was hooked and drawn ever faster into a life turned upside down by an unreal horror come to life. As the story progresses you learn how the truth of mans need to survive controls every action and thought no matter what has to be done to achieve it. An absolutely phenominal read if you enjoy the thrill of a good horror
April 4, 2011
Pretty good read. I got the Kindle version and the formatting was good. There were a few typos, but it was minimal.
For $1.99 it was well worth the money. The characters were well drawn and the story moved along nicely. This novel is about the worst in humanity after the Zombie Apocalypse.
For $1.99 it was well worth the money. The characters were well drawn and the story moved along nicely. This novel is about the worst in humanity after the Zombie Apocalypse.
September 24, 2011
Cheap Kindle-store books can suffer from amateurish writing and lack of proof-reading. This one is hardback quality writing, instantly engaging and very well paced.
My only flaw would be the depth of the characters, even the main ones. However, it is still gripping and a very good waste of time.
My only flaw would be the depth of the characters, even the main ones. However, it is still gripping and a very good waste of time.
December 29, 2010
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Couldn't put it down. Characters believable and very scary, both the dead and undead.
Want a sequel !
Want a sequel !
January 10, 2011
Loved it! Excellent characters with fun plot twists, in an original setting. Didn't stop until I had finished!! A must for any zombie fans. Can't wait for a sequel, thanks Remy!
July 11, 2011
Great, dark read. Sweet finish.
October 9, 2011
I really enjoyed this book, I feel it was written like the old hammer horror films. I believe the ending could have been better but the book on a whole had a nice feel to it.
May 22, 2012
A good British horror , quite enjoyed it.
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