Graverobbers Wanted: No Experience Necessary (Andrew Mayhem #1)

Graverobbers Wanted: No Experience Necessary (Andrew Mayhem #1)

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3.96 of 5 stars 3.96  ·  rating details  ·  284 ratings  ·  44 reviews
When you're desperate for money, searching for a little adventure, and aren't the most responsible person in the world, you can end up doing some outrageous things. Which is how Andrew Mayhem, an extremely married father of two, ends up accepting $20,000 to find a key ... a key buried with a body in a shallow grave. When the body turns out to not only be still alive, but a...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published March 1st 2005 by Mundania Press LLC (first published August 1st 2000)
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Stephen
Writing horror-comedy is tough...
Writing disturbing, gruesome horror-comedy is much, much tougher
Writing disturbing, gruesome horror-comedy while maintaining a light-hearted touch on the narrative is bordering on metaphysically impossible...
Jeff Strand, for the most part, pulls it off.
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Now, this isn't a perfect novel, and there are portions I think could (and should) have been tightened up and made better. I wobbled back and forth between 3 and 4 stars as I was reading and decided to split the...more
Adam Wilson
You know, after reading hundreds of horror novels you start to wonder how many times you can be surprised with something that seems totally original. I enjoy all horror, but the same old plots get, well, old after a while. Strand’s Graverobbers Wanted is one of those beautiful books that I can say nothing, absolutely nothing bad about because I loved every word, hell, every letter of it. It is brilliant beyond anything I would have expected from the description of the book and the title. Basical...more
Todd Russell
The first of four books published (as of this review) in the Andrew Mayhem series introduces Andrew as a struggling father who takes on a strange job digging up a grave for $10,000 (his cut).

This is more of a mystery thriller, complete with a whodunit, as opposed to the horror humor tale that Strand has written and I enjoyed immensely like Wolf Hunt. Nor was it much like his excellent straight horror tale Dweller or even his humor thriller zombie tale, The Sinister Mr. Corpse. Instead, it's more...more
Carol
Andrew Mayhem, verheiratet und Vater zweier vorwitziger Kinder, steckt in einer Identitätskrise und probiert sich als selbsternannter Privatdetektiv aus. Er gerät durch den zweifelhaften Auftrag von Jennifer Ashcraft, deren frisch verstorbenen Ehemann Michael auszugraben, in das Visier eines psychopathischen Killers. Abgesehen davon, dass Michael beim Ausgraben noch höchst lebendig ist. Allerdings nicht mehr lange, ebenso wenig wie Jennifer. Von dem Mörder wird Andrew gezwungen, seine Ermittlung...more
Neal Hock
Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) by Jeff Strand was another book high on my “Wanted” list that I finally got around to picking up cheap for Kindle (I believe for only $2.39). And like a few other books I’ve read recently, I had heard a lot of good things about it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the book, but based on the title and what little I knew about Jeff Strand’s writing style I figured it would be a fun read.

In this first book of the Mayhem series, we are introduced...more
Kathy Jackson
Dec 27, 2011 Kathy Jackson rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone
Goodreads describes this book as:

If you're desperate for money, searching for a little adventure, and aren't the most responsible person in the world, you can end up doing some outrageous things. Which is how Andrew Mayhem, an extremely married father of two, ends up accepting $20,000 to find a key...a key buried with a body in a shallow grave. When the body turns out to not only be still alive, but armed and dangerous, he realizes that he should have held out for more money. His simple evening...more
Vickie
I bought GRAVEROBBERS...based on the interview that JA Konrath and Jeff Strand did with each other back in March, I think.


This book made me laugh and scared the bejeezus out of me. Andrew is trying to find his niche in life. Some might call him a slacker. I know I'd be hard pressed to be married to a guy like this..maybe could be a friend. He's smart and funny, really a smartass is what he is and I am drawn to funny smart smartasses....


He and his buddy, Roger, find themselves pulled into a way...more
Flickercat
Bei "Grabräuber gesucht" handelt es sich um einen Roman, den ich nicht gezielt gesucht, sondern eher zufällig mitgenommen habe.

Dafür hat er mir ziemlich gut gefallen, schwerpunktmäßig vor allem der Humor und die teilweise doch recht makabren Entwicklungen.
Etwas gefehlt haben mir Hinweise, die mir ernsthaftes Miträtseln über die Identität des Bösewichts erlaubt hätten, und teilweise war die Handlung auch relativ schlicht gehalten. Nichtsdestotrotz wartete das Buch mit einigen sehr spannenden Ste...more
Gavin
This really fell flat for me.

After the cheap and efficient fun of Wolf Hunt, I decided to pick up some more of Strand's stuff for reasons equally divided between wanting to read more and wanting to support what the guy is doing monetarily.

Unfortunately, this novel was a bit crap. It wasn't offensive,or entirely without worth, I cracked the odd smile, and I more or less felt how I think he wanted me to feel, but the characters were intrinsically unrealistic. Just a set of mouth-pieces for lukewar...more
Ricardo Moedano
This book is like the mixture of the films "8mm" and "Saw" - just that, instead of Nicholas Cage as the committed private investigator, we have happy-go-lucky slacker Andrew Mayhem, whose knack for solving puzzles is inversely proportional to his propensity to involve himself in the most bizarre situations. Well, it´s rather through his enterprises gone awry that Andrew´s best friend Roger and, later on, his children too, are in great danger. In any case, Jeff Strand will keep you guessing, trem...more
SenoraG
Imagine agreeing to dig up a grave because you are so desperate for money, only to find out the dead body is not dead! Then getting in way over your head trying to figure out what is going on. That is exactly what happened to our hero Andrew Mayhem. Fitting last name by the way.


I enjoyed the "mayhem" that took place in this witty book. The characters were quite original and funny in their own strange ways. The plot was fast moving with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing while you are l...more
mark monday
sad but true: a surprisingly bland piece of work...is this really the same author who penned Dweller? the dialogue is insipid and the frequent dips into mawkish setimentality become nauseous. after reading endless descriptions about how adorable the protagonist's wife and child were, it became a real challenge not to imagine choking them both out. perhaps it is some demented labor of love for the author, or a useful exorcism that is needed in order to avoid running wildly amuck in the streets. b...more
Daniel Keohane
I laughed out loud during the first half of a book - Strand can be a very funny writer, but by the second half I was laughing less and cringing more. He's an amazing writer, flawless execution keeping the action moving along quickly, and again the book is quite funny - especially in the dialogue - early on. But this is a horror novel, make no bones about it - not a spoof or satire of the genre. Some scenes were quite horrific and cringe-worthy as the puzzle the protagonist Andrew Mayhem is force...more
Benjamin Knox
Absolute wickedly fun!
I've been a Jeff Strand fan for a little while now but was unsure about his horror/comedy detective series starring bumbling if well-meaning private investigator wannabe Andrew Mayhem. I needn't have worried. A rapid pace and some seriously laugh-out-loud moments (for me at least) it makes for a very enjoyable read.
If you like all the trappings of horror but with a healthy dollop of the absurd, often hilarious, then this is the book for you.

Looking forward to the next in th...more
Kelly
All the fan boys and girls liked Black Comedy a lot, but Bloodymary, who read it for a living, did not. Bloody hated those books that promised to maintain the balance, hated the whole damn spot. Give it up; no one knows why, and to try and figure it out is too hard a task. Although I did hear someone once mention she had a stick up her a*s.

When she received Jeff Strand's Graverobbers, she laughed with glee. She planned on burning it, and doing it publicly, for all to see. She would show all the...more
Dan
Per my rule that if it doesn't capture my attention enough to read it through without putting it down for something else, this gets three stars. It was just all right for me. The humor was hit and miss, I read some reviews where they said they were laughing out loud it was so funny. Definitely not me. Most of the time I was thinking "Yeah, I see that was supposed to be funny, meh..." It was an interesting plot, but nothing here stands out as overly special.
Sandra
Oct 09, 2010 Sandra is currently reading it
I am LOVING this book. It is laugh out loud funny. I was reading it on my sony reader and couldn't stop chuckling. The guy in the next row asked what I was reading and downloaded it to his kindle right then. 20 minutes later we were both cackling and I am sure the others on the train were wondering what we were drinking.
Zara
Jul 19, 2012 Zara added it
Laugh out loud comedy. His dialogue is entertaining and witty. His characters are beautifully flawed and there is no redemption for them. His plot is well crafted. Overall, a fantastic read that will keep you laughing for some time to come.
Richard
I really liked Strand's Dweller, which is a fantastic pulp thriller, but that book is in a whole different league than Graverobbers, which took my "willing suspension of disbelief" to previously untested extremes.

I think this was one of Strand's first novels, though, so I will definately give him another chance.
J Dale Breedlove
Great, entertaining horror/comedy book. First book I've read by this author, now reading Single White Psychopath Seeks..even better than the first book, didn't think it was possible. Take the time to read it, you'll be glad you did.
Robert Williamson
All I can say about this book is if you like to laugh and you like a mystery this is for you.

Seriuosly funny and fun to read. Didn't want to put it down. If you like a lighter horror based mystery this is the one.

Jeff Strand has another fan.
Misspix
As a first book, it is good. I am sure the next books will be even better.

A lot of what I like in a book, good writing, good dialogue, likable protagonist, humor...maybe a bit too light-hearted for a murdering psychopath, but there is enough to like that if I can't find something else to read, I would pick up the next in this series.
Nicole
Like a Carl Hiassen and a Dexter novel had a baby.
Not my usual genre, but I liked it. The characters are funny. And it was an enjoyable read.
Terri Garey
Though I don't usually read horror, this one had enough dark humor to tickle my funny bone. A teeny bit of gore, but not enough to detract.
Lisa Avila
I am not a good reviewer of books, can only say I loved this book, both horrified me and made me laugh hysterically.
Jackie
Horror (but not too much) and a little sense of humor goes a long way in this page turner.
Kurt Criscione
Humor thriller mix, Jeff Strand is the master of Horredy.
Tanya
I love funny horror novels. It's light on the gore with some mystery
Nicole
Gruesome horror with hilarity. Fabulous
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Graverobbers Wanted: (No Experience Necessary) (Andrew Mayhem #1)
Grabräuber gesucht (Andrew Mayham, #1)
Graverobbers Wanted: No Experience Necessary (Andrew Mayhem #1)
Graverobbers Wanted: No Experience Necessary (Andrew Mayhem #1)
Graverobbers Wanted: (No Experience Necessary) (Andrew Mayhem #1)

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Author of a bunch of demented books, including PRESSURE, DWELLER, A BAD DAY FOR VOODOO, WOLF HUNT, SINGLE WHITE PSYCHOPATH SEEKS SAME, BENJAMIN'S PARASITE, FANGBOY, THE SINISTER MR. CORPSE, and lots of others. Three-time Bram Stoker Award finalist. Three-time Bram Stoker Award loser. Four-time Bram Stoker Award Master of Ceremonies.
More about Jeff Strand...
Dweller Pressure Wolf Hunt A Bad Day For Voodoo Casket For Sale: Only Used Once

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