The Remaining: Extinction

Adrenaline and high stakes drive the gritty, though overlong, sixth and final entry in Molles’s Remaining saga (after Allegiance), which continues Capt. Lee Harden’s quest to unite North Carolina’s survivors after a nasty virus has turned most people into vicious cannibalistic horrors. Desperate to find the final caches of weapons and supplies needed to complete his mission, Lee and his allies begin launching increasingly risky operations (it can’t be fun to have to drive a bait truck), and though zombies are a threat, humans who seek to thwart Lee ultimately prove the most dangerous. There are tense, well-executed action scenes, most of them in the second half of the book, but repetitive inner dialogue frequently stalls the narrative. Lee is a satisfyingly capable hero, and military buffs will love the detailed descriptions of weapons and missions, though new readers might struggle with the large cast and lack of recaps. The series wraps up on a literally explosive but hopeful note that speaks to the resilience and bravery of humans in the face of utter devastation. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks. (July)