AUTHOR: Hunter Shea
PUBLISHER: Lyrical Underground
PUBLISHING DATE: October 3, 2017
FROM GOODREADS: YOUR MONEY BACK OR YOUR LIFE . . .
Protect America’s shores with your very own nuclear submarine! Constructed from durable fiberboard material, this submersible is large enough for two kids! Sail off into imaginative international intrigue for just $1.99! If this toy doesn’t float your boat, return it for a full refund!
With her son’s heart set on piloting his own nuclear submarine, Rosemary Lanchester orders the craft advertised on the back of a comic book. What arrives is more sub-standard than submarine, but her son loves the cheap piece of cardboard. Until he and a friend nearly drown when they take the sub for a deep sea dive in the swimming pool.
Enraged, Rosemary reports the toy’s manufacturer to the Better Business Bureau. The company’s customer service center retaliates with threatening phone calls. Then her son and husband mysteriously disappear.
To save her family, Rosemary tracks down the company’s headquarters with the help of her brother—a survivalist with enough toys of his own to wage an all-out war.
And she still wants her $1.99 refunded.
MY THOUGHTS:
"Money Back Guarantee" is the third and final installment on Shea's Mail Order Massacres series. In this novella, Rosemary, who has just received her first Tupperware commission check, orders a submarine for her son Dwight, which he saw in the back of his Spiderman comic. When the sub arrives, it is nothing but a large cardboard monstrosity, but Dwight loves it just the same. One day Dwight and his best friend are almost killed using the sub in the friend's pool which sends Rosemary on a rampage. Rosemary is determined to contact the maker of the sub, AdventureCo, to get her money back but at what cost?
I liked "Money Back Guarantee" more than "Optical Delusion," but "Just Add Water" remains my favorite. Almost all of the characters in this edition are likable, and I love that Shea made Rosemary a kick-ass lead. Dwight is a sometimes frustrating little kid, but I found his expectations of his new toy and his demand for a replacement when it sinks totally reasonable for a child his age. I even liked Rosemary's husband which is saying a lot after the perv introduced in "Optical Delusion."
Over the past few months, I've looked forward to this series. I honestly hope Shea eventually writes more novellas from this series because I'm sure there are more tales roaming about in that mind of his. Shea has solidified himself as a must-read writer in my book and I look forward to reading more of his books and novellas in the future.
I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
RATING: 4 PAWS
