Eat, Slay, Love

Petersen's satisfying third zom-com shows that the Living with the Dead series has surprising staying power. At the end of Flip This Zombie, married zombie-hunters David and Sarah had discovered a cure for zombification. They now head toward the mythical wall that separates the zombie hordes in the west from the rest of the U.S., hoping to deliver that cure to scientists who can do something with it. Along the way, they pick up Nicole, a famous (and, to Sarah's chagrin, attractive) entertainment reporter, and McCray, a drugged-up rock star, and encounter an insular group of survivalists as well as some unfriendly soldiers. Petersen doesn't skimp on the danger and gore, all delivered through Sarah's witty narration. Her thrill at David killing a teen zombie with a Justin Bieber haircut is especially amusing, but it's an emotional scene near the end that really demonstrates her strength as a character and Petersen's growth as a writer. (July)