I think you’re missing something, what did you notice about the woman in the coffin? …She was breathing. Not a common habit amongst the dead.

It’s the middle of the night and, in a dark suburban churchyard, a group of men are loading a coffin into the back of a transit van.

But why would you be taking a full coffin away from a graveyard and, more importantly, why is the occupant still breathing?

The matter obviously needs thorough investigation by the best, most capable authorities.

Which is a pity as the only two witnesses are a pair of drunken ex-theatricals with reasons of their own to avoid the police.

Tom Harris (nightclub owner) and Max Jackson (habitual barfly) are on the case.

God help us…

Deadbeat: Makes You Stronger is the first in a series of adventures set the secret underbelly of contemporary London, a place where the dead walk, magic can be bought on street corners and anything is possible.

Frankly, it’s just like every other Pulp Crime/Horror/ Zombie/Comedy/Thriller you’ve ever read.

Reviews:

Deadbeat is a cracking novella packed with invention, humour and downright grusome horror. Adams is a strong writer who creates memorable scenes that are liberally dosed with comedy and horror… The interaction between the two leads is instantly amusing and with alternating chapters written from the point of view of each — giving you two different opinions of the same situation in the best way possible. They could best be described as Reeves & Mortimer meets Karloff and Lugosi; they have a surreal sene of humour with a very black edge… The sequence when Max is hiding in a coffin is laugh-out-loud… The taxi driver incident is as charming as it is eccentric and is almost Ealing Cinema-like in execution. If a film production company hasn't picked this up by the end of the year, then there's no justice in the world…
     Rating: 5 of 5 Stars!

— James Whittington (May 2006; DarkSide Magazine)