Shane loves Victor and would do just about anything for him, even indulge in a lifestyle he wasn’t very comfortable with. Both men are in careers that take a toll on their psyche. Shane, a writer of horror books about a psychopathic serial killer whose persona takes over when he’s writing. Victor, a professor and head of the history department who’s finding more stress and less enjoyment with his job to the point that when he’s home he doesn’t want to think, he doesn’t want control.  As the two prepare for Halloween, their indulgent role-playing begins to spiral out of control leading the couple down a very frightening path.

To say Raising the Dead freaked me out is an understatement.  Angela Sparrow story mirrored what goes through my mind whenever I read a D/s BDSM story. How do couples living this lifestyle keep it from taking them over?  It was easier for me to see how Victor would allow himself to be degraded and treated as if he was a pet, actually worse than a pet.  When you think you are worthless you accept being treated as such.  I had a difficult time agreeing with Shane’s rational of why he was treating Victor this way.  Granted Shane was uncomfortable with treating Victor so shamefully but he continued to do it under the guise he was trying to help him.  Yes, Raising the Dead was very scary, not for the physical aspect of living an abusive BDSM lifestyle but for the emotional and mental toll it can have on both people involved in the relationship.