A Darker Shade of Dead

Zombie fighters find love in the light, sexy sequel to April 2010's Once Bitten, Twice Dead. Dr. Sandra McCormick has been carrying a heavy load of guilt since she accidentally let loose the zombies created by her co-workers during a military experiment gone wrong. Haunted by the deaths of a platoon of Marines who faced those first zombies, Sandra is determined to make up for her mistakes while dodging her former collaborator, Rodriguez, but she can't reveal her part in the zombies' escape, especially if it would mean losing the respect of sexy military commander Matt Sykes. The story sometimes bogs down in pseudoscience and stilted dialogue ("I could shoot you both now, but that would feel sort of anticlimactic"), but plenty of zombie action and steamy romance keep it moving. (Nov.)