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The Half-Dead: 1: The Heist
An extinction level event has the human race in its grasp. A virus is killing all it infects within seconds. Except the dead won’t stay dead. Now the Half-Dead are hunting the living, hungry for human flesh. Perhaps there is a safe haven in a London bunker, but the doors will be locked at midnight . . .
Harriet had a plan to get rid of her abusive husband. Now she is fleeing for her life from a far greater risk with her teenage daughter Lilly, heading from the North of England to London and a secure bunker that her scientist sister Deb has told her to get to. But Harriet has a secret she never shared with Lilly and is afraid it will bring a wedge between them if Lilly discovers the truth.
Armed robbers Brendan Quigley and Paula Schultz were pulling a heist when the virus broke. The rest of their gang are dead and now they are running for their lives, chased by armed police officer Will Hunter and an army of the non-living. But how were the police waiting for them? Someone grassed them and Quigley has his suspicions.
Filmmaker Eddie Royal and actress Kelly Rose were in the middle of making an adult film when the five strangers forced themselves into his film studio to take shelter from the infected. Worse still, Kelly has a medical problem and has forgotten her medication and now her condition is worsening, putting everyone at risk.
Barricaded in and surrounded by the Half-Dead, can they survive the apocalypse and more importantly, each other. There is conflict from within and the clock is ticking if they want to get to the bunker. Who will survive the Half-Dead to make the final journey?
If you love tales of the undead, an apocalypse, conflict and mystery, then you’ll love the first book in this fast-paced Half-Dead thriller series.
Harriet had a plan to get rid of her abusive husband. Now she is fleeing for her life from a far greater risk with her teenage daughter Lilly, heading from the North of England to London and a secure bunker that her scientist sister Deb has told her to get to. But Harriet has a secret she never shared with Lilly and is afraid it will bring a wedge between them if Lilly discovers the truth.
Armed robbers Brendan Quigley and Paula Schultz were pulling a heist when the virus broke. The rest of their gang are dead and now they are running for their lives, chased by armed police officer Will Hunter and an army of the non-living. But how were the police waiting for them? Someone grassed them and Quigley has his suspicions.
Filmmaker Eddie Royal and actress Kelly Rose were in the middle of making an adult film when the five strangers forced themselves into his film studio to take shelter from the infected. Worse still, Kelly has a medical problem and has forgotten her medication and now her condition is worsening, putting everyone at risk.
Barricaded in and surrounded by the Half-Dead, can they survive the apocalypse and more importantly, each other. There is conflict from within and the clock is ticking if they want to get to the bunker. Who will survive the Half-Dead to make the final journey?
If you love tales of the undead, an apocalypse, conflict and mystery, then you’ll love the first book in this fast-paced Half-Dead thriller series.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 3, 2026
A brutal, claustrophobic thrill-ride that doesn't play nice
I picked this up expecting another "run from zombies, find safe zone" story. And yeah, on the surface, that's what it is. But Garry Moore has done something sneaky here. He's taken that familiar setup and filled it with characters who are so deeply, messily human that I found myself stressed out by them long before the Half-Dead even showed up.
Harriet's storyline hit me hardest. She's spent years planning to escape her abusive husband, and now the apocalypse has basically handed her a get-out-of-jail-free card—except she's dragging her teenage daughter Lilly through absolute hell, all while hiding a secret that could destroy the one relationship she has left. As a reader, you feel that weight. It's not just about surviving the infected; it's about whether Lilly will even want to survive with her once she knows the truth.
Then you've got Brendan and Paula—armed robbers who were in the middle of a heist when everything went sideways. Normally I'd struggle to root for criminals, but Moore writes them with enough grit and desperation that I found myself genuinely torn. And the fact that a police officer (Will Hunter) is chasing them down during an extinction event? That added this whole other layer of tension. The guy just won't quit, and honestly, you respect it even while you're yelling at him to focus on the flesh-eaters.
The film studio setting was pure chaos in the best way. Eddie and Kelly are just trying to shoot an adult movie (yeah, you read that right), and suddenly five terrified strangers are busting through their doors, bringing all their baggage and secrets with them. Kelly forgetting her medication? That subplot had me chewing my nails because it turns her from a potential ally into a walking liability, and nobody knows how to handle it.
What I loved most is that the Half-Dead almost feel like background noise sometimes—which sounds like a criticism, but it's not. The real horror is these people stuck in a room together, knowing they need each other but not trusting anyone. Secrets simmering. Accusations flying. And that bunker door slamming shut at midnight? The clock is always, always ticking in the back of your mind.
Moore doesn't spoon-feed you. He drops you into the chaos and expects you to keep up. Some characters made choices that had me shouting at the page. Others broke my heart. And I genuinely didn't know who was going to make it to the end—which, for a zombie thriller, is exactly what I want.
If you're after something that moves at breakneck speed but still finds time to make you care about deeply flawed, sometimes unlikeable people, this is it. Just don't get comfortable. Nobody's safe, and Moore isn't here to hold your hand.
Can't wait to see where book two takes this ragtag, broken group. Because that ending? Yeah, I've got questions.
4.5 stars – deducting half a star because I'm still mad about that one death. You'll know which one when you get there.
Regards,
Albert.
I picked this up expecting another "run from zombies, find safe zone" story. And yeah, on the surface, that's what it is. But Garry Moore has done something sneaky here. He's taken that familiar setup and filled it with characters who are so deeply, messily human that I found myself stressed out by them long before the Half-Dead even showed up.
Harriet's storyline hit me hardest. She's spent years planning to escape her abusive husband, and now the apocalypse has basically handed her a get-out-of-jail-free card—except she's dragging her teenage daughter Lilly through absolute hell, all while hiding a secret that could destroy the one relationship she has left. As a reader, you feel that weight. It's not just about surviving the infected; it's about whether Lilly will even want to survive with her once she knows the truth.
Then you've got Brendan and Paula—armed robbers who were in the middle of a heist when everything went sideways. Normally I'd struggle to root for criminals, but Moore writes them with enough grit and desperation that I found myself genuinely torn. And the fact that a police officer (Will Hunter) is chasing them down during an extinction event? That added this whole other layer of tension. The guy just won't quit, and honestly, you respect it even while you're yelling at him to focus on the flesh-eaters.
The film studio setting was pure chaos in the best way. Eddie and Kelly are just trying to shoot an adult movie (yeah, you read that right), and suddenly five terrified strangers are busting through their doors, bringing all their baggage and secrets with them. Kelly forgetting her medication? That subplot had me chewing my nails because it turns her from a potential ally into a walking liability, and nobody knows how to handle it.
What I loved most is that the Half-Dead almost feel like background noise sometimes—which sounds like a criticism, but it's not. The real horror is these people stuck in a room together, knowing they need each other but not trusting anyone. Secrets simmering. Accusations flying. And that bunker door slamming shut at midnight? The clock is always, always ticking in the back of your mind.
Moore doesn't spoon-feed you. He drops you into the chaos and expects you to keep up. Some characters made choices that had me shouting at the page. Others broke my heart. And I genuinely didn't know who was going to make it to the end—which, for a zombie thriller, is exactly what I want.
If you're after something that moves at breakneck speed but still finds time to make you care about deeply flawed, sometimes unlikeable people, this is it. Just don't get comfortable. Nobody's safe, and Moore isn't here to hold your hand.
Can't wait to see where book two takes this ragtag, broken group. Because that ending? Yeah, I've got questions.
4.5 stars – deducting half a star because I'm still mad about that one death. You'll know which one when you get there.
Regards,
Albert.
July 7, 2026
Creepy thinking how many of us got the poke
And I'm not talking poke salad. Everything centers around a group involved with a armed robbery. The police man, Will, leading the group. The abusive husband leading the gang. His wife and daughter who want to get away and have a chance if they can make it to London to rendezvous before midnight. The ex-military, Paula, who just needed a bit of money to pay bills. The porn producer whose office they take shelter in with his latest actress.
The action had one obvious flaw, a stage two diabetic doesn't use an epipen.
And I'm not talking poke salad. Everything centers around a group involved with a armed robbery. The police man, Will, leading the group. The abusive husband leading the gang. His wife and daughter who want to get away and have a chance if they can make it to London to rendezvous before midnight. The ex-military, Paula, who just needed a bit of money to pay bills. The porn producer whose office they take shelter in with his latest actress.
The action had one obvious flaw, a stage two diabetic doesn't use an epipen.
March 30, 2026
Not Bad
It’s a pretty good zombie story, although not a massive amount of zombies but it’s a good start. I am intrigued and would read more
It’s a pretty good zombie story, although not a massive amount of zombies but it’s a good start. I am intrigued and would read more
May 4, 2026
Not a bad book, missing something. I enjoyed the gore of it and the action 🖤
Did Not Finish
July 10, 2026Not for me...characters were a bit boring and the story wasn't going anywhere.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews