Book Review: Hour 23 by Robert Barnard

In the suburb of East Violet, New York, something horrible has happened. A virus is on the loose, leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake. Those who are infected transform into bloodthirsty monsters. Those who are spared are left to fend for their lives in a nightmarish hellscape. For the residents of East Violet, survival may be possible, should they be able to endure until HOUR 23. 

My Review:
In a rural town once made famous by the rape and murder of a child, life is peaceful again for the police and local residents of East Violet. Sudden bursts of violence seen on the news from nearby cities don't worry anyone at first. Then the local doctor murders and tries to eat his wife. The police at the crime scene are quarantined by scientists. A teenage girl on the school bus attacks her best friend. Roadblocks quickly spring up to try and contain the infection as families try to locate their loved ones in the chaos. The scientists are working non stop to find a cure but too many people are dying and coming back as zombies. Is the town doomed?

Jim is one of the cops who was first at the murder scene and had to write a report on the zombie activity of the dead couple. He and his partner Min are taken into quarantine straight away. Jim wants to find the kids but his boss really needs his officers back on the street to control the chaos. Jim has to decide on whether to do his job or seek out his child. Chloe and Nolan are on the school bus when hell breaks loose and the school is not the safe haven that the kids and teachers are hoping for. Now they have to decide whether to stay in the school and hide or try to get out and make their way home. Dana also finds that a few creepy guys are going to try and take advantage of the chaos in other ways.

There were a few random niggles over the stupidity of the characters and how they handled weapons. I'm no gun expert but even I know better than the cop. He is looking out a window at the school canteen where there is a zombie. He then decides to shoot it through the glass, missing the zombie, breaking the protection of the glass and sending bullets off the wall and back at the students! Then he thinks it is a good idea to turn his back on the zombie coming through the broken glass. Deary me. Dana saw half a body on the street, her school is under quarantine after a bus crashed into it but instead of turning to the news when she gets home, she decides to watch The Price Is Right. Yes if all hell was breaking loose in my town, I'd be sure to watch Supermarket Sweep re-runs rather than find out what is happening!!! Chloe's idea of safely using a gun almost kills an innocent friend. Still, none of this affected my overall enjoyment of the book.   

I thought that the book was well enough written and had no real issues with the way it was put together. The characters are normal and ordinary and are easy enough to root for. There is also a dog called Elliott who safely makes it through the book, for those who worry about these details. A second dog is also safely rescued. Hurrah! The plot was interesting and I liked following the medical people at the hospital as they tried to cope with the crisis. The whole plot about the cure has some potential for the second book so that could be interesting. It was interesting to see a town where order gradually corrodes rather than total meltdown as soon as the crisis begins. There was also enough action to keep the zombie fan happy so I had no complaints there. Overall it was a pretty decent zombie read.

This is a book that was actually pretty hard to decide on a rating for. It was a book that I mostly enjoyed but it did leave me with quite a few unanswered questions. Who was driving the hit and run vehicle? Why did one character not turn after being bitten when there was never a sign of immunity in anyone else? Is Monica the one being hunted down by the feds? What is happening with these cures? Why are people reacting to it the way they do? It did seem a little bit rushed at the end but I'm guessing the author wanted to set the scene for the second book in the series, which is also available. I also liked how the previous town tragedy is brought into the story, which added a new level of interest.

Am I going to read it? Yes I think I will. The characters were interesting and the plot was decent enough that I want to find out what happens next. I'm not sure when I'll get to it but I certainly do hope to read it.

Read January 2019
3.5 stars?