Tim McBain

FROM AMAZON: He slips through the unlocked window. Creeps down the hall. A shadow standing in the bedroom doorway. Will you wake when death comes ripping?

A string of brutal home invasion murders terrifies Dade County, Florida. The killer strikes in the dead of the night, savages innocent people in their beds, wipes out entire families.

He attacks at random. Rich. Poor. Young. Old. No one is safe.

When the city sleeps, he comes alive. Stalks the night. Walks among us.

The investigation is hopeless. There's little physical evidence to work with, and the killer's chaotic behavior makes him as unpredictable as he is dangerous.

What drives someone to such violence? And how can anyone make sense of such brutality?

The task force leading the investigation needs a profiler, and there's only one man for the job.

Loshak. Special Agent Victor Loshak.

The 53-year-old likes his Dunkin' Donuts coffee shaken, not stirred. And now, for the first time, he's on his own.

But how far will this case push him?

In recent years, Loshak has slowed down some. He relies on more wit than grit these days, often playing a mentor role to his partner, Violet Darger. Until now, she always had more than enough grit for both of them.

But Darger isn't around this time, and a killer this aggressive will push Loshak to his limits.

And beyond.

Yeah, he'll need to find that grit again...or die trying.… (meer)

This was different from most zombie books I have read. It takes place during a pandemic. There is no panicky rushing around. No truly terrifying violent altercations. Just one man, the narrator, writing letters to the girl across the hall. He writes down what he sees, what he feels, thinks and does. This may sound very tame and even boring but don't be fooled. It is an uncomfortable situation. I thought a lot about how it would be to believe I was the only person remaining in my town. I think I would go mad. By the time we see our first zombie perhaps the narrator has. You be the judge.
I really liked how the author wrote this. We don't know much about our narrator or the city neighborhood he is in. It is easy to transfer it to the area you live in.
I did learn it was Philadelphia but by then I had already imagined it being a city I knew. The narrator had become the neighbor you wave to but really don't know. As the days pass you become uneasy, then terrified. I enjoyed that build up. I really want to know where this goes.
This book is part of a series. I'm not sure if our narrator is in the other books. Sometimes these types of additional novellas tell us the story of a minor character or someone completely new. Other times it is background of a major character. I enjoyed it enough that I am looking forward to the series. I am reading this during FrightFall week and have my books selected, so I will have to come back to this one.… (meer)