Delirium Books / May 2008
Reviewed by: Michele Lee

Suckers is the sixth book in the Delirium Books hardcover chapbook series, a crossover tale featuring Konrath's sexist bad boy Harry McGlade and Strand's infamous Andrew Mayhem. Ninety six pages of pure action and insanity, it starts with Andrew Mayhem, a bit battered, running to the store to get mushroom-free spaghetti sauce. On the way, he runs into McGlade who is breaking into a neighborhood house looking for a missing girl.

The ensuing mess is part action/adventure (complete with a mystery to be solved and a girl to be saved!), part horror (a cult of murderous vampires!) and part pure egotism (Harry McGlade starring as The Chosen One?!). Konrath and Strand both break the rules of writing and leap past the boundaries of genre borders with casual ease. But they can be depended on for highly entertaining, hilarious tales with enough splatter to keep readers’ attention and enough thrills to leave readers satisfied after all is said and done.

While other writers focus on writing an opus that will withstand the tests of time, Strand and Konrath are both joyful midlisters, endowing them in some ways with a freedom from the traditions of mainstream publishing careers. The wildness of Suckers is a testament to the strength of both contributing writers and the addictiveness of their prose.

Despite gore, violence, cheesy jokes and a plotline that seems too bizarre to ever make it in even the fictional world, Suckers will not be enough of Strand and Konrath for readers. This cute little chapbook is a mere sample-size serving that could lead readers into an all out binge.

Purchase Suckers by J.A. Konrath and Jeff Strand.