Not to nitpick but my obsessive compulsive nature requires that I state that the money back guarantee was for 5 dollars, not $1.99

Having previously read Optical Delusion and Just Add Water by Hunter Shea I was anxiously awaiting this third installment, and as much as I enjoyed both of those, this is by far my favorite adventure into the horrors of mail order shopping.

Set in the 1980s and steeped in all it's glorious culture of Tupperware parties this fast paced horror takes what should be a mundane ordinary experience and turns it into something horrifying.
Against her better judgment, Rosemary allows herself to be talked into purchasing a toy from an advertisement in the back of a comic book for her son Dwight. Naturally, when it finally arrives it's a piece of junk. When Dwight and his friend nearly drown while playing, Rosemary has quite literally a hell of time trying to track down the elusive "AdventureCo" manufacturer that nobody has ever heard of. Unfortunately for Rosemary, AdventureCO has heard of her, and they do not like complaints.

I received an advance copy for review. ( )

From what I understand, this is the last of the Mail Order Massacres novella series. That's a damn shame! The first dealt with sea monkeys, the second with X-Ray glasses, and this one- a nuclear submarine. All ordered from the back of a comic book. You shouldn't worry though because if you're not happy with your submarine, there's a money back guarantee!

So what happens when Rosemary orders said nuclear sub and her son tries to take it into his best friend's pool? As you can imagine, it doesn't go very well because the sub is actually made out of cardboard. Rosemary tries to get her money back and that's when everything goes south. Is her son okay? Will she be refunded her $5.00? You'll have to read this ripping novella to find out!

Money Back Guarantee was a fast paced story that can easily be knocked off in one sitting. Was it fun? Hell, yeah! Was it engaging? Oh yes! Was it totally believable? Probably not, but if you're looking at these kinds of books, believability is probably not your first priority. If what you ARE looking for is fun, then this is the novella for you!

I'm going with highly recommended on this one, because it's just so entertaining!

You can pre-order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Money-Back-Guarantee-Order-Massacres-ebook/dp/B01N208O1T/...

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.* ( )

The latest installment in the Mail Order massacres series is a total blast (quite literally)! This time, the story is about a mail-ordered submarine, which turns out to be nothing more than a large piece of cardboard. When her son almost drowns on his undersea adventure in his friend's swimming pool, Rosemary Lanchester is determined to get her money back. But it seems the address of AdventureCo, the company who sold the crap toy, does not exist. Then the anonymous phone calls start, insulting Rosemary and threatening her family. When her husband and son disappear, Rosemary is determined to get them back and give AdventureCo not only a piece of her mind, but some bullets as well...

There were several scenes, especially at the beginning of the story, that reminded me of my own son, e.g. the enthusiasm with which Dwight played with the submarine. Where his parents saw only a cheap piece of cardboard, Dwight was not disappointed, but thrilled to have his own submarine and with his imagination made it come to life. Also, the deep disappointment when the submarine was ruined by the water, and before that the naive believe that it should have been able to swim at all. Or Dwight's outburst of anger towards Rosemary when she decides to trash the replacement sub instead of letting him play with it because she thinks it's such a dangerous fraud. While I'm not so sure I would have acted the same way, I totally agree with her determination to protect her son at all costs.

The last part of the story is a satisfying action- and bullet-packed roller coaster of a showdown, though it ended with a mean little twist.
Afterthought: I wonder whether Dwight got a look at the mysterious man but maybe was better capable to deal with it because of his still unlimited childish imagination.

A great story and hopefully not the last in this spectacular series.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own) ( )