Book Review: Road Trip of the Living Dead

Road Trip of the Living Dead

By:  Mark Henry

Publisher:  Kensington Books

Publish Date:  March 2009

Format:  Paperback 307pgs, pocketbook size

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  2nd book in Amanda Feral series; Book 1~Happy Hour of the Damned

Recommendation:  If you enjoyed the snatchy humor of Amanda in Happy Hour of the Damned you should try this one as well!  All while on the road.
Book Synopsis:
With her zombie gal pal Wendy and vampy sidekick Gil, celebrity party girl Amanda Feral is ready to take a big bite out of Seattle's supernatural nightlife.  But what's a zombie chick to do when her "Mommie Dearest" gets sick?  If you're Amanda Feral, you can either ignore the wicked old witch or bury the past by visiting Ethel before she kicks it.

Packing their stiletto pumps and plasma into a sketchy rat-trap on wheels that used to be a Winebago, Amanda, Wendy, and Gil hit the highway.  Of course, they'll have to navigate past some neo-Nazi skinheads, a horny dust devil, a hunky werewolf cop, and an unsightly horde of Kmart shoppers.  But for this glamorous gang of ghouls, this trip is about to take a dangerous detour that could give road kill a brand new meaning...

First Sentence:
Gil brought lawn chairs to the cemetery - not stylish Adirondacks, not even semi-comfortable camp chairs (the ones with those handy little cup holders).

My Thoughts and Summary:
We are six months after the end of Happy Hour of the Damned, and everyone has pretty much moved on since the zombie outbreaks.  Gil has started his own Resurrection business, making money turning people undead.  While waiting for a client of Gills, recently deceased wealthy-rich man, to rise from the grave Amanda mentions to Wendy and Gil she received a call from her mothers hospice care nurse saying her mother is in ending stages of stomach cancer.  With the rising of the new vampire things start to go seriously wrong.  A ghost who hates vampires does something to the newly birthing vampire as he is breaking from the earth.  Markham is now pissed (ha ha...) and wants a refund and threatens to kill Gil.  But Gil hopes a few days away will calm him to the point of talking and not killing.  Leaving town for a road trip to Amanda's mom's, the crew goes ~ some wanting and willing, and one dreading it.

Oh this road trip is a tragic comedy of events.  But we are with a group of meat eating undead here and there are crazy happenings with the crew as they are chased through the country to Amanda's dieing moms.  Fun.  As the trip starts off as a way to get away from troubles awaiting in town, the start to think they might be being followed.  But then when they think they've lost their stalkers other events take place and we meet new characters that being a new twist to the story and new destination stops in the road trip.  All stops end in a wild happening.  And the humor like in Happy Hour.

We learn more of Amanda's upbringing through her memories of her mom while meeting new characters that fit, and don't fit, into the group.  There are new men and women.  And each finds their own place here, if they have one.  Amanda is the great sassy character I remembered her to be.  Wendy seemed to be not as active for me in this book.  But we do meet some new characters which I enjoyed, Honey and Scott.  I love the connections the feel with a few of the characters.  Nice! But, there's a murder mystery too!  Not knowing who is doing the murders and working on the suspects.  So, who is killing these people?  Which ones will end up lunch meat?  You'll have to read to find out.


I purchased this book of my own accord for my reading pleasure.


This book qualifies for the Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge hosted by Book Chick City.