Good story by a solid writer
355293
Good story by a solid writer.  Have enjoyed her novels for a while now and always find them well written, interesting, and a light, quick read
789089
I picked this book up on a recent trip, during a connection through London, where it's already published. (I don't really have the Kindle edition, I have a softcover, but Amazon doesn't allow reviews for any edition except Kindle as I write this.)

I've read so much fiction in my life that only pretty good writing will hold my interest. This is high quality writing with quite good characterization.

The viewpoint of the story switches among the main characters. Each section for a character starts off with a first-person narrative, and then switches to a traditional third-person narrative for that character.

This results in overlap. It's common to see the same timeline covered from multiple viewpoints. That's tricky writing to pull off, but Archer is a pro, so he does it pretty well.

The era is early twentieth century, between the World Wars and leading up to World War II. It's clear that WWII will play a big part in the entire story, and in fact it begins just as this book ends.

The protagonist is from a lower class family, and the early part of the book covers his attempts to rise via his education.

The plot is fairly predictable. There are a few twists that I didn't see, but the broad outline became clear early on. I was still engaged enough with the characters to want to see the story through.

And that leads to the biggest criticism: as other reviewers have noted, this is just the beginning of a series. The end of the book leaves all of the major plot elements unresolved. So if you like your fiction to contain a story wrapped up neatly in a bow at the end, you probably ought to avoid this one until the story is all published. However, if you can let the unresolved elements sit for a while until the rest is published, then this would be a fine summer reading choice.
1785934
I enjoyed quite a bit of the story as it unfolded and the writing is fairly good - though it felt choppy at times. The story told is interesting in concept and I like how the thoughts flowed (not at all linear) - though so much badness seems to be piled on the poor kid in such a short period of time that some pieces felt too "Hollywood" to me. A handful of the central characters are well developed, and a few could have used a bit more developing for my liking. Those characters that sniff around the permitter of the story just seemed a bit thin.  But all and all, a good read that really seems to gain its footing about 2/3 in - so I say give it a go.
2528848
In a literary world drowning in zombies, vampires, werewolves, and other fantasy creatures, it's nice to come across a story that's not just a hack and slash survival tale. Damn Zombies is more of a tale about a rural midwesterner and a crisis in his life between him, his wife, and his daughter that just happens to also have zombies in it that are just a part of the every day turmoil.

With the story centered around the main protagonist, we don't get to see the cause of the zombie outbreak or if the creatures are even the standard undead monsters we've come to expect. We only get as much information as the main character gets and are surrounded by the lack of outside news, rash thinking, and small-town prejudices affecting the lumbering efforts of others to survive.

The story is solidly written and the author paints a solid picture of the main character's push and pull of emotions as he just tries to survive long enough to help his family.
2822711
Minimal violence and the sexual content is not at all graphic.  What I liked best about this book was the author's writing style.  It was smart and funny with good character development.  I love it when an author can change your mind on a character midway through a story.  It remind me that we're all just human beings doing the best we can.  There is a plot twist that you will probably see coming a mile away, but that let that keep you from reading this thoroughly engaging, well written story.
3676371
The first writer that I thought was any good.  He had a good story and was very good at writing it. Highly recommend.
4799640
This is a novella sized story which is actually pretty well written. It has a solid plot, some daring situations, and a set of decently developed characters. Overall it is about 50 pages.

The book advertises itself in a sort of tongue-in-cheek manner, but it is better than a lot of sci fi written by established authors.

Note, this book does not attribute an author to it.

Overall my grade is an A-.
1423013
Doesn't feel too forced or rushed.  The characters don't mindlessly repeat the same lines. It has enough of a plot to keep you interested. The author tells a decent story and shows the right type of raw emotions.
1286777
Good story with good pacing. The story flowed well from beginning to end. When considering that this is a first time author, I find this book outshines many others in this genre. There were several grammatical/editing lapses (there seemed to be a shortage on the supply of commas and quotation marks, etc.), but less than some of the more experienced authors who publish ebooks.
2903794
I chose this book because I like this authors style of writing. Story content was good and moved along quite well.
4253061
This is the first time I read this author and it was a nice surprise. It was an easy read and a page turner.
It's a solid story and you'll enjoy it.
2511807
Solid story: a bit cliche in parts but also unique in others. Overall it was worth the read and I would and probably will read another fantasy setting story by this author.
70702
Well worth reading a solid basis for a great story. I do not think the author is as good of a writer as he will be but he is already a very good story teller. If you are interested in the blues and like a good story give this one a read.
1851338
Within the genre this was a solidly written story.  I've now read all 5 of the books in Mr. Horton's "Borrowed World" series and both of the books in the "Locker Nine" series.  With a few minor stumbles the writing is tight, the action compelling, and he has gotten better throughout the 7 books.  Given the loose ends that he left hanging in this book (very intentionally) I am sincerely hoping that there is enough demand for him to write at least one more to tie things up.
2692600
It was a good, interesting read.  The writing was neither sophomoric nor did it try too hard.  It was a hot story with a solid twist.
1935320
This is a well-written, logical and believable story populated with real people.
The detective has a back-story and exists outside of work.
This is the second in what looks to become a series where each book is a complete story but the prior books influence the current book.
Not having read the first book, I am aware of missing something reading this one.
This is not a criticism, all series are best if read in sequence.

There are two stories here.
The main story involves a series of suicides and the second the search for the main characters missing wife.
When the main story slows down and it will, the second story speeds up.
Together, they kept me reading the book.
The book did not wow! me but it is not a yuck! either.
This is a good solid detective story that most people will find enjoyable.
4495066
I have been spending a lot of time checking out independent authors on Amazon, and thought I've found a few treasures I've also read a lot of not-ready-for-primetime novels. I'm happy to say this is not one of those books in sore need of some heavy editing. The book is very solidly written, the story engaging despite having a familiar frame, and the characters believable. I was slow to put it down and looked forward to picking it up again. All in all a strong showing for a new author.