Plot:

A convicted Mass-Murderer is given a special serum by a nutball doctor that is supposed to keep his consciousness alive while the killer lies stuck in his coffin as a sort of karmic retribution. That wouldn’t be so bad, except said murderer wakes up in the coroner’s office and doesn’t take too kindly to his surroundings. He begins to kill. Those he kills don’t stay dead. Yep, looks like we have ourselves a good old-fashioned zombie bloodbath…

Review:

This is a very easy review for me to write. Ready? I will try to put this as simply as I can.

DEAD OF NIGHT, the new stand-alone Jonathan Maberry zombie novel, is absolutely flawless. I tried (I swear) to poke holes and find fault with it, but I can’t. It kept me up at night. Surely, my overworked pea-brain asked me, there is no such thing as a perfect zombie novel, is there?

Yes. Yes, there is. It’s that good. Let me state this again for the record.

DEAD OF NIGHT is a perfect zombie novel.

It is, quite honestly, a work of brilliance from one of the masters of the genre. There’s no two ways around that. I can’t remember enjoying a book more than this. I read it in one sitting, having no desire to put it down. I promise you I am not worshipping at the altar of Mr.Maberry, nor am I in full ass-kissing mode. DEAD OF NIGHT is the best zombie novel I’ve read this year, and I have read quite a few winners. Maberry is a genius when it comes to pacing and plotting, and this story is no exception. Anyone who has read his Joe Ledger or Pine Deep stories will know exactly what I mean. DEAD OF NIGHT is fast paced, brutal and, at times, touching. It sucks you in and refuses to let you go. Let’s run down the list of areas where this book succeeds…

ZOMBIE CARNAGE(check)- When the zombies attack, it’s brutal. The violence is unrelenting, but at the same time it never ventures into cartoony theatrics, or becomes a poor caricature of itself. Thumbs up here.

ZOMBIE BACKSTORY(check)- Maberry uses science and established fact to concoct the cause of the Zombie scourge. It is obvious Maberry knows his science and research and it shows. These zombies are scary and numerous. Thumbs up.

CHARACTERS(check)- Rich and layered. These are real people with real fears and reactions to match. Desdemona Fox, the female protagonist, is a wounded soul who hides behind a badass façade. She makes for a compelling figure to pull for. You might know these people, or people like them, where you are. Thumbs up.

ACTION(check)- This goes hand in hand with zombie carnage. The action works without ever lapsing into goofy mode. No action heroes here. Only ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Thumbs up.

ENDING(check)- No spoilers here. I’ll just say BIG thumbs up.

I cannot find anything lacking in this book. I tried, but every aspect works, even right down to the Nihilistic after-taste. As I said earlier, this is by far the best zombie novel I’ve read this year. Buy it. Download it. Whatever floats your literary boat. Get up, fight through holiday traffic, and grab a copy. This book gets my highest recommendation.

Available at Amazon