Black Tide

Jones debuts with an uneven, snark-filled romp through a postapocalyptic world. Financially unstable Beth makes another in a string of questionable decisions when she has a one-night stand with the neighbor at her current house sitting gig, washed-up film producer Mike, who’s still grieving the death of his wife. The world ends the night of their hookup, when an alien invasion disguised as a meteor shower leaves the planet devastated. Masses of people are missing and horrific creatures from an alternate dimension roam the earth. When Beth and Mike awaken to discover this new world order, they set out to survive together, but their escape from the extraterrestrial terrors stalls out on the Oregon coast. Between battling deadly aliens who seem to be just as confused as their prey and frantically searching for car keys, Beth and Mike learn to overcome enough of their insecurities to put up a fight. The pacing is slightly off, with a slow build-up and dragged-out suspense, but the unusual aliens and the climax’s edge-of-your-seat thrills make it worthwhile. The sarcastic, self-deprecating characters and quirky setup set this first contact tale apart, even if it’s something of a mixed bag. Agent: Amanda Jain, BookEnds Literary. (May)