Flip this Zombie

Sarah and David are back! This time their marriage is stronger than ever. They communicate effectively and easily and have overcome their past issues. Now, they share a booming zombie killing business called ZombieBusters Exterminators, Inc. For a fee, they come out and get rid of your zombie pests. There is no shortage of customers since the world is overrun with zombies. One odd customer is a scientist that wants them to bring zombies still animated to him to conduct experiments on. His goal is to find a cure, but David doesn’t trust him. Sarah believes in the doctor’s cause and has hope that there will eventually be a cure for the zombie virus. Coincidentally, a new type of super zombie mysteriously appears that is faster, bigger, and smarter than the average zombie. Is this scientist benevolent or just another mad scientist? Will their disagreement end their relationship?

I enjoyed this book very much. It’s just good zombie fun with new characters and a new situation. The previous book was very typical for the genre, but this one gets away from the initial outbreak of the zombie apocalypse. Sarah and David’s zombie killing business takes these characters to a different level. They have a much better grasp of using weapons and kill zombies in much more efficient ways. Because of their greater exposure to the horror of zombie and the realities of surviving, both Sarah and David are much more jaded and cynical. Their character development makes sense even though Sarah clings on to some naïveté and hope. I like that they are real people with their own sets of flaws and irrationalities. The new characters are a great addition to their world. The Kid that they encounter by chance is a welcome counter to the couple and is just funny. The new handsome doctor that seeks their help is very ambiguous and I constantly doubted my decision about if he was good or evil. I also liked that each chapter heading was the title of a business book with a zombie twist.

I did have a few issues with the novel. When I found out about the possible zombie cure, I could plot out exactly what was going to happen. Only one fairly minor thing was surprising to me. I shouldn’t be able to predict most of the events to follow. The same problem that bothered me in the first book has continued to this book. Zombies feel fear and pain that causes them to become distracted and make mistakes. It’s ridiculous and, as a very avid zombie fan, it brings me out of the story and annoys me. It wouldn’t bother me so much if it didn’t lead to major victories for the characters that really shouldn’t be happening. If there was a logical, scientific reason for it, I also wouldn’t mind, but no such explanation has been supplied yet.

Flip This Zombie is a quick, fun zombie-filled read. For the most part, it was a joy to read. Hardcore zombie fans might be annoyed with it, but the improved plot and characters make those problems easier to forget. I will be reading the third novel, Eat Slay Love, because it seems like this series gets better as it goes along.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins