Dead Men

By Derek Haines

General Fiction

Romance

Language: English Restricted (R)

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Overview Ratings & Reviews

Evolution hasn't made a lot of difference as far as men are concerned. The end of the chase has changed little over the eons, as he drags his woman back to his cave in the belief he needs to spread his genes. When she rebuffs his advances, he resorts immediately to violence and roars in disbelief at the rejection. Our society may have changed, but as far as the Alpha Male is concerned, little has changed in his belief that he is the dominant hunter and protector.

Although believing we live in a civilised society, when men are rejected by their women, primeval urges are difficult to repress. A hurt male, is a hurt male, so beware. Dead Men is a raw, undignified and sad tale of men who have trouble in accepting their own failings and fragilities, and an instinctive need to blame the women in their lives for their sudden demise. Having difficulty in accepting that their women and children are not their possessions, they regress to needing vengeance, retribution and humiliation on their path to renewal. Dead Men is disturbing, uncouth and at times vulgar.

A story that may surprise, offend or shock, but will certainly not be forgotten. Whether you are man or woman, single, married or divorced, you will connect with the characters and their human reactions to the trauma of lost love and rejection. At times ugly, but always too very real.

Praise and Reviews

Mary's review

Mar 27, 11

status: Read in March, 2011

The Hell of Divorce

This is a story about the hell of divorce from the point of view of three men. They are angry, bitter, depressed, and lonely. They have lost their jobs, homes, and their children. Any money they eventually earn goes to child-support. They feel the Family Court favors women and they try to beat the system. These men did not exactly grow up in nurturing homes, which definitely adds to their outlooks on life.

Within a few months, divorce turned three men into confused and bored women haters. David and Tony’s wives discarded them, both had cheated on them. Steve felt his wife measured him by his salary, which he increased with petty criminal activities.

David, an innovative salesman; Tony, a hard working owner of a transport company; and Steve, a well-qualified and dependable accountant, are reduced to feeling useless and worthless to their families and society in general. They end up twisting their skills using illegal activities.

The story begins in their birth city of Perth, Australia. The men move to Sydney, Australia where they all meet by chance, calling themselves The Three Musketeers. This is where the story develops. The reader experiences the trials and tribulations these men experience during and after their divorces. We listen to the ramblings of broken men who can’t be seen as weak. They don’t know how to talk about their emotions and/or feelings in a healthy way. We watch how they do handle life, which isn’t very pretty.

Readers will have different opinions regarding how the story ends for Tony and Steve. David’s ending, where he meets his match, will have readers hoping for the best for him.

The book is dark as the story is rough. Derek Haines strength is developing his characters, and he does an extraordinary job describing three distasteful men who deal with their circumstances in the only way they knew how. While doing so, he does offer his readers a different perspective in the difficult matter of the hell of divorce.

Book Review by Mary Crocco

http://www.mrc-bookreviewer.blogspot.com

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4.0 out of 5 stars

A thought provoking read By Irish Eyes

This review is from: Dead Men

This is a tale of three men all dealing with relationship breakdowns which in itself makes it very different. As a woman I found it fascinating to see things from the other side of the story and Haines gets across, in very raw, real, terms the anguish a man goes through when he has to relinquish his children. This is a book that you won't put down and forget but will mull over for sometime afterwards.....

5.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read By Vivo

This review is from: Dead Men
The first pages of this novel read like a social documentary and hide the fact that a real tough story starts a little later. The lightness of the first chapters are in contrast to the rest of the book when the story develops and the characters become real and really less than pleasant.

I was expecting a bitter male story, but was surprised to find that the story balances the reaction of all the characters in times of stress. Probably not the best read if you are in the middle of a relationship break-up as it is quite graphic in how each character reacts to his or her situation.

There is a pace that develops during the story, and makes the last chapters a real 'can't put down' read. A really good read.