Grave Robbers

Grave Robbers - Matt Drabble It has been quite a while since I’ve read a zombie story. I made the mistake of reading too many of them in a row for too long and burned myself out. However, the synopsis for Grave Robbers, along with the cover, enticed me to give it a try.

For people like me, who have read a few too many zombie stories, this one might surprise you. It never goes full on zombie apocalypse. Instead, it’s more along the lines of dealing with a smallish outbreak. Also, though zombies arepresent and like their humans crunchy and with ketchup, this isn’t about them. Instead, it’s about a mystery, a debt, a couple partnerships, and examining how far on either side of the line you can wobble before you cross it entirely.

Grave Robbers is a good choice for readers who like their characters somewhere between somewhat smudged and outright dirty. Even the good guys in the book aren’t exactly sparkling clean representations of angelic innocence. Corruption, greed, selfishness, and egotistical behavior runs rampant throughout Grave Robbers. There’s a hefty bit of action, and gorehounds will find themselves quite satisfied by the end of the book.

Unfortunately, the dialogue and the characters in Grave Robbers need some work. The characters are fairly cliche (evil scientist, cop with bent morals, gangster, etc.) Some of the lines and/or scenarios in the book need some work to make them a bit less unintentionally amusing. However, I do like the basic plot idea and action scenes. I think with some refining it would make a very good piece of horror-crime reading.

Overall, Grave Robbers was a decent read, albeit one that didn’t live up to it’s potential. Readers that like zombie books set in places other than America will probably want to check this one out. Hardcore zombie readers might like the fact that it avoids becoming your typical zombie novel in a few ways. Book Dragons, however, may find themselves disappointed.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from the author as part of the Sage’s Virtual Book Tour.