Eat Slay Love-Jesse Petersen

Lock and load, ladies and gents. It’s time to kill some zombies.

“Sarah and David have survived the zombie apocalypse. They stood side by side and fought the undead, mad scientists, and even bionic monsters until the unthinkable happened. A zombie bite. But not even that could stop them. Now, with a possible cure in hand, they're headed east, looking for a safe zone behind the rumored "Wall." They're feeling pretty optimistic. That is until Dave stops sleeping and starts lifting huge objects.”

I am so glad that I finally got around to reading the third installment of Jesse Petersen’s Living with the Dead series. I have to say, Ms. Petersen, bravo.  I just don’t know how to thank you for writing such amazing zombie tales.

Sarah and David are still relatable characters, but there is something more to David since surviving a zombie bite thanks to a miracle drug made by Dr. Kevin in the last book, Flip This Zombie. He seems to need less sleep, is stronger, and also seems to be immune to zombies. As with all really awesome books, I can see myself as Sarah and my husband William as David. Though we sometimes are nit-picky with each other, we make a really bad ass team: smart and snarky. And I’m pretty sure if it came down to it, we could be pretty good shots with shot guns.

As an Oklahoman, I totally appreciated that most of the book was set in Oklahoma. And I know that some folks from this state can get a little up in arms about how we are depicted (i.e. Grapes of Wrath) but I could totally see the commune from the beginning of the book being formed here in than one town on the outskirts of Oklahoma City and Tulsa (and maybe Lawton…). And that’s what so great about reading Petersen’s zombie stories: the characters are believable. There is that delicate balance that has be to walked between the ordinary and the extraordinary. I can accept that there is a chance that David has super Zombie Powers without being a zombie because David is a believable individual. I enjoyed the addition of paparazzi news anchor and the drugged out rock star. They provided not only additional entertainment and humor, but also other characters for Sarah and David to interact with.

The mythical Wall proved to be true but not what Sarah and David and company expected. And of course, if you have read Jesse Petersen’s series of short stories, you would have gotten that sense that of course they are not letting those who have survived the End of the World through the Wall.

I’m glad to see that Jesse Petersen left us all hanging in what could possibly happen next to Sarah and David. The difference between this book and the first one: we have left behind the chick lit for some balls to the wall action. It’s no longer about their marriage, it’s been saved. Now, its just about saving the world. Once again I say, let’s lock and load.