Review: Braineater Jones by Stephen Kozeniewski

Braineater Jones
Author: Stephen Kozeniewski 
Reviewer: VampBard
Rating: B

What I’m Talking About:

I think I liked Braineater Jones because it took me back to my horror roots. I was that kid. In 5^th grade, I was reading Stephen King. I understood it, and I was eager to read more. Enter Robin Cook, and a slew of other horror authors. Poe remains my favorite, however. Mr. Kozeniewski brings us a familiar gangster (ala 1920’s) patter along with the horror elements that are so intriguing for those of us that love the genre.

I think I decided I liked ‘Braineater’ in the first 20 pages of the title. His snarky sense of humor – well, it seemed snarky – was absolutely spot-on for me, and the connections the author was making to the Roaring 20’s (also, one of my favorite time periods for historical settings!), well, that solidified my serious like for this title.

There really wasn’t anything in Braineater Jones that I didn’t like. The comedic horror was more along the lines of Zombieland than Night of the Living Dead in nature. Definitely a plus for me. That way, the comedy was built-in and I didn’t have to have the laugh track going in my head as I read. Because, after all, horror and things of this nature are to be the source of humor, and to laugh at the human condition. OK, at least that’s what I tell myself.

There isn’t a lot I can discuss about the plot without giving it away. I do, however, like the way that Mr. Kozeniewski deals with the roaring 20’s politics, mafiosio-type personalities that were common in that time period, as well as the sexuality of the time. Well done, sir. I’d also like to add that the slang terms of that era were fabulously done, yet not OVER done.

I liked Braineater Jones. I think that any fan of zombies would enjoy this title. The rampant humor and the roaring 20’s setting makes the whole well-written story just that much more awesome.

My Rating:  B, Liked It, recommend

About the Book:

Braineater Jones wakes up face down in a swimming pool with no memory of his former life, how he died, or why he’s now a zombie. With a smart-aleck severed head as a partner, Jones descends into the undead ghetto to solve his own murder.

But Jones’s investigation is complicated by his crippling addiction to human flesh. Like all walking corpses, he discovers that only a stiff drink can soothe his cravings. Unfortunately, finding liquor during Prohibition is costly and dangerous. From his Mason jar, the cantankerous Old Man rules the only speakeasy in the city that caters to the postmortem crowd.

As the booze, blood, and clues coagulate, Jones gets closer to discovering the identity of his killer and the secrets behind the city’s stranglehold on liquid spirits. Death couldn’t stop him, but if the liquor dries up, the entire city will be plunged into an orgy of cannibalism.

Cracking this case is a tall order. Braineater Jones won’t get out alive, but if he plays his cards right, he might manage to salvage the last scraps of his humanity.

Release Date: October 14, 2013
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
ISBN: 978-1940215181
Genre: Humorous Horror
Format(s): Paperback (234 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Publisher/Author

Purchase Info:
Braineater Jones