Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight - Zombie Illinois by Scott Kenemore

What happens when three Chicagoans are thrown together by a bizarre, interconnected series of events during the first twenty-four hours of a zombie outbreak?
From the author of the bestselling Zombie, Ohio, this supernatural thriller weaves the tale of an unlikely partnership between a pastor from Chicago's rough south side, a intrepid newspaper reporter, and a young female musician, all of whom are fighting for survival. When the mayor of Chicago is eaten by zombies on live television and a group of shady aldermen attempts to seize power in the vacuum, these unlikely friends realize that they have stumbled upon a conspiracy to overthrow the city...and they alone may be capable of stopping it.

Zombie, Illinois takes everything I loved about Zombie, Ohio to an even higher level (except for the fact that Ohio is my home state...so I obviously have a biased love for it). The first and foremost thing that stands out about the book is it's characters and how they mesh together pretty much perfectly. The three main characters are a Maria Ramirez, a young Latina rock drummer, Ben Bennington, a news reporter who longs for disaster (and gets it in abundance), and Pastor Leopold Mack, an African American pastor from the rough side of Chicago who is caring and holy while at the same time not taking any shit from no man, city, or zombie (can you tell he's my favorite?)! The book jumps from viewpoint to viewpoint without ever once losing or confusing the reader, which is a huge feat in itself with all the fantastic action going on in this book. The greatest achievement though is how Scott brings together these three separate characters and not only succeeds in giving each of them their own unique voice, but also in making their interactions seem so real and genuine despite their obvious differences in personality. And of course, a book with zombie in the title has to have some kick ass zombie action, and this book sure as hell does! The writing is beautifully graphic with vivid images of zombies missing body parts (or dragging them behind them), Pastor Mack giving out some good old fashion cans of whoop ass (god I live that man!), and, simply put, action upon action. Scott, I know your heart is in the Midwest  but I would love to see you write a book for all 50 states! I'd read each and every one of them! You can pick up a copy of Zombie, Illinois HERE and read this wonderful book for yourself!