Plague of the Undead

“A rising star on the horror scene!”

—FearNet.com

 

“Joe McKinney’s first zombie novel,
Dead City,
is one of
my all-time favorites of the genre. It hits the ground
running and never lets up.
Apocalypse of the Dead
proves
that Joe is far from being a one-hit wonder. This book is
meatier, juicier, bloodier, and even more compelling . . .
and it also NEVER LETS UP. From page one to the
stunning climax this book is a rollercoaster ride of action,
violence, and zombie horror. McKinney understands the
genre and relies on its strongest conventions while at the
same time adding new twists that make this book a
thoroughly enjoyable read. That’s a defining characteristic
of Joe’s work: the pace is so relentless that you feel like
it’s you, and not the character, who is running for his life
from a horde of flesh-hungry monsters.
“And, even with that lightning-fast pace, McKinney
manages to flesh the characters out so that they’re real,
and infuse the book with compassion and heartbreak
over this vast, shared catastrophe.
“This book earns its place in any serious library of
living-dead fiction.”

—Jonathan Maberry,
New York Times
best-selling author of
The Wolfman

 

“
Dead City
is much more than just another zombie novel.
It’s got heart and humanity—a merciless, fast-paced, and
genuinely scary read that will leave you absolutely breathless.
Highly recommended!”

—Brian Keene

 

“The pace never lets up as McKinney takes us through
the zombie apocalypse in real time—every second of
terror is explored in depth as the world goes to hell.”

—David Wellington, author of
Monster Island

 

“
Dead City
is an absolute must-read for zombie lovers,
but McKinney’s excellent storytelling makes it a great
read for anyone who loves the thrill of a gruesomely
delicious page-turner.”

—Fran Friel, Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of
Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales

 

“
Dead City
is a zombie tour de force—the story
moves along at breakneck speed and never lets up. Joe
McKinney knows how to toy with readers’ emotions,
masterfully capturing the essence of humanity in the
face of unspeakable horror.”

—Amy Grech, author of
Apple of My Eye
and
Blanket of White

 

“Joe McKinney’s
Dead City
is a tense, thrill-a-page
nightmare, written with great passion and authority. Surely
one of the best zombie novels ever set down in blood.”

—Lisa Morton, two-time Bram Stoker Award–winner

 

“
Dead City
wastes no time jumping straight into mile-
a-minute thrills and gruesome action. This seminal
zombie novel culminates in a heart-wrenching finale,
and I found that as the undead hordes multiplied, so too
did my respect and admiration for author Joe McKinney.
If you like your thrillers served with an extra helping
of intensity, you’re going to love
Dead City
!”

—Joel A. Sutherland, Bram Stoker Award–nominated
author of
Frozen Blood

 

“
Dead City
is an action packed, pedal-to-the-metal zombie
novel that never loses sight of its humanity. McKinney uses
his background as a homicide detective to bring a level of
realism to his vision of the apocalypse that is both urgent
and frightening. A timely nightmare that you will not put
down. I can’t wait to see where this series leads.”

—Gregory Lamberson, author of
Personal Demons
and
Johnny Gruesome

 

“McKinney writes zombies like he’s been gunning
them down all of his life.”

—Weston Ochse, Author of
Empire of Salt

 

“
Dead City
is a full-throttle page burner that torques up
the terror and does not let up. You’ll want the shotgun
seat for this wild ride. Bring a crash helmet.”

—J. L. Comeau, Countgore.com

 

“Welcome to Joe McKinney’s
Dead City
universe, a
relentless thrill ride where real characters do bloody
things on nightmare streets. Break out the popcorn,
you’re in for a real treat.”

—Harry Shannon, author of
Dead and Gone

 

“
Dead City
is a well-written and compelling first novel.
A scary, fast-paced ride, full of hair-raising twists and
turns that keep the reader spellbound. Do yourself
a favor and snag a copy . . . thank me later.”

—Gene O’Neill, author of
Taste of Tenderloin
and
Deathflash

 

“Fast-paced, entertaining . . . five headshots out of five.”

—D. L. Snell, coauthor of
Demon Days

 

“A fantastic tale of survival horror that starts with
a bang and never lets up.”

—Zombiehub.com

 

“McKinney continues to lead the genre of zombie fiction.”

—Craig DiLouie, author of
The Infection

 

“
Mutated
delivers pulse-pounding action with precision,
intelligence, and most importantly, heart. McKinney proves
once again that he understands the power of the zombie
subgenre better than any other writer.”

—Peter Giglio, author of
Anon
and co-author
of
The Dark

PLAGUE of the UNDEAD

J
OE
M
C
K
INNEY

PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

Table of Contents

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

In the pages that follow you’ll find descriptions of how to modify several readily available weapons, such as the Ruger 10/22. All of the methods discussed herein have been field-tested and actually work as described. However, do not try to duplicate them yourself. Modifying a firearm is something best left to trained and licensed gunsmiths. Doing it yourself could lead to serious injury or death. Also, some of the modifications described in this book constitute a violation of federal and state law, and could get you into some serious hot water with the ATF. Not a good thing, believe me.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A lot goes into taking a book from a nascent idea to a finished product in the reader’s hands. The famous writer’s adage of put butt in chair is certainly a major part of that process, if not the most important part. Along the way, though, there are countless encounters, countless accidental readings, conversations, observations, whatever, that eventually shape the final form of a book. The volume you hold in your hand is no different. It is the result of many hours of butt in chair, but also many more accidental moments of inspiration than I can possibly remember or acknowledge here.

But I’ll try.

These are just a few of the people who helped me put this book in your hand. Ethan Humble, Steven Grover, Anastacio Hernandez, Steve Almanza, and Genaro Villarreal for minding the store at West Patrol so I could take the time off to write this book. And a special second thank-you to Ethan Humble and Steve Almanza, for sharing their gun expertise. What I got right here I owe to them. What I messed up, well, that’s on me. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the members of Candlelight—David Liss, Robert Jackson Bennett, Hank Schwaeble, and Rhodi Hawk—for their wisdom as story doctors and for the hours of great conversation. I’m also fortunate enough to be a member of Drafthouse, along with my very good friends Sanford Allen, Beckie Ugolini, Thomas McAuley, and Brian Allen, fantastic writers all who shared their time and storytelling skills again and again. I also want to thank my editor at Kensington, Gary Goldstein, for his sage counsel in my hour of need, and my agent, Jim Donovan, for going the extra mile on my behalf. And, most of all, thanks and gratitude and love go out to my wife, Kristina, and our two girls, Elena and Brenna, for putting up with the epic amount of crazy that went into writing this book.