Darkfuse has put out several very good supernatural noir stories recently and Deadlift is certainly among them.

First it starts out as an edge of the seat straight forward thriller---how long can this giant of a man, yet still a man with human limitations, hold onto the cable of a falling elevator with his wife inside? You can almost feel the metal cable tearing into flesh as the car slips slowly downward.

Then in comes a supernatural twist that turns out to have a long and interesting history and the story takes on levels that a straight thriller would never explore.

Really well done. I will definitely seek out more work by this author.
( )

My friend Matthew emailed me after reading this novella. He was raving about how great it was and now that I've read it, I have to agree.

I admit that I was turned off a little by the title, but the story inside isn't about weightlifting, and it's not for the faint of heart. This is an emotional tale with characters that wrap their arms so tightly around the reader that it's hard to breathe.

I recommend this novella to readers/lovers of dark fiction, and a big thanks goes out to Matthew for the Kindle loan! ( )

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this based on the blurb, but I knew I'd be in for quite a ride. Saunders did not disappoint. Deadlift has a little something for everyone: love, betrayal, murder, heartbreak, and a bit of the supernatural.

Bodybuilder David Lowe believes his wife is cheating on him and, in a fit of insane jealously, hires someone to kill her and her lover. At the last minute, he has a change of heart, but not before the first explosion severs the support cables in the elevator holding his wife. For any chance at saving his wife, David has to keep the half-ton elevator from falling using only his own strength.

The novella bounces back and forth between the present and the past, fleshing out the motivations of all the characters. Alternating time frames like that can be challenging, but Saunders handles it well. The story flows naturally and really draws you in. David Lowe is both captivating and horrifying; he obviously loves his wife deeply, but there's monstrous in him, something that led all the characters into this situation. By the end, he recognizes this, but instead of running from it, he accepts it as part of himself and deals with his new reality.

This is, perhaps, the most touching novella DarkFuse has published. The story is dark, very dark, but there's a message of hope and redemption buried under the horror. This is a story well worth reading. ( )

Take a touch of film noir, add a little bit of hard boiled and a smidgen of Stephen King stir them all together and the final result will be something very similar to Deadlift. I did enjoy this short tale told in a very direct manner through the eyes of a troubled David Lowe abused in childhood by a violent father “own your own guilt and pay your dept” and possibly showing signs of insanity as he arranges for the death of his wife Freya Lowe. If you add to this mix a killer known as the “other man” bound up with the mystical qualities of the “mask” and an elevator in freefall then the result is an adrenaline fuelled fun read. The style and tautness of writing together with an unusual ending keeps the reader’s attention from start to finish.....”When David Lowe’s ocular cavity was penetrated by a fragment from the explosion as he leaned over the shaft to call to his wife, it was not a fragment of metal that penetrated his face...It was a fragment of his wife”.........read and enjoy! ( )

First off, thanks to everyone who recommended this book to me after reading my review of Bloodeye: Paul Nelson, Matthew Pontiff, Charlene Cocrane, Dan Schwent... my apologies to anyone I missed. I probably wouldn't have found this one otherwise, since I missed it on NetGalley.

Deadlift is thus far my second favorite read of 2014. The only book I enjoyed more this year was James Newman's Animosity. This novella's premise is one of the most original ideas I've come across. Because of the unique concept here, Deadlift is far from predictable, and that was definitely one of my favorite parts about reading it. I had no idea where Saunders was going and was able to just kick back and savor the journey. The length was perfect, too. How Saunders managed to pack so much content into such a short piece is beyond me. 77 pages of pure, unadulterated story. No filler. No BS. Every word counts and carries weight. Each sentence is razor sharp. Every paragraph is delivered with succinct precision. I'm once again in awe of the author's machine-gun-fire prose. Plain and simple, this guy can write. If you haven't read any of his stuff, you're missing out on some serious talent.

Considering the subject matter, Deadlift is shockingly deep. All the characters feel real, but the main character--David Lowe--gets my deepest sympathy, which is strange, considering the book begins by informing us that Lowe has hired a hitman to murder his wife. I'm a big fan of characters that are not cut-and-dry good or bad. And, while I do not condone the character's actions, I believed his motivations. I don't think I've ever read a book wherein the MC is a strong man, and I found it to be a refreshing change from your average everyman. David Lowe is no John Smith (a male version of a Mary Sue). Otaku and Harmon were equally well drawn, as was the concept behind the mask. Speaking of the mask, that shizzle was creepy, yo!

Saunders handles the subject matter believably, as well. Meaning, though I don't know jack squat about weight lifting, I believe that that the author did his research. Saunders also managed to make entertaining information I'd normally find boring.

In summation: Craig Saunders is now a new favorite author of mine. I will be devouring his back catalog and chomping at the bit for his new releases. If anyone has any other recommendations of his work, please comment on this review. Deadlift is an easy 5-star read, so buy it. Like, yesterday. ( )