Rend

Washington, Dead City #2

by Brian Parker

Six years ago, the president made the difficult decision to abandon Washington to the undead—and The Wall was built to keep them trapped inside. Now, a new presidential election revives the hopes of the nation as one candidate promises to retrieve the Declaration of Independence and Constitution from behind The Wall.


Retired CIA operative Asher Hawke, AKA the Kestrel, agrees to lead a team to recover the national treasures. But when they insert behind The Wall, they discover that organized crime families have been stealing priceless artwork and cash as well as disposing of bodies behind The Wall.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to easily understand and enjoy this book despite having not read the first book in the series.Its premise is that somewhat intelligent zombies are walled into our nations capital and the repercussions that it brings to the United States.I liked that the author brought in the criminal and political groups into the story along with the military.It put an interesting spin on the zombie genre.The book finishes nicely without any huge cliffhangers,yet definitely leaves room for more books in the series.I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the nuke didn’t solve the zombie problem, our government decided to put a ten-foot wall around Washington to separate us from the problem. Well, that’s not working out so well either. The mobs are using the walled-off city to dump their problem bodies into, thus increasing the number of zombies over the past five years. Our government is also taking a lot of heat over the fact we haven’t removed all the social documents from Washington. Documents such as the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. So its time to send in another team to check on the zombie situation and retrieve the documents. The call goes out once again to former Special Forces and CIA operator Asher Hawke. Asher will be in charge of the technical situation while female FBI agent Alison will have overall control. Sounds like the ingredients for a romance, doesn’t it? There’s a bit of penis measuring going on between the FBI HRT and Asher. Other than that, there is plenty of action, especially when they find out just how bad the zombie situation is. The only thing I didn’t like is the author taking out a key player at the end. I don’t see the justification for that, and this character brought much to the story. How that hole will be filled is up to the next volume. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Beverly Laude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is the second book in a series, it could be read as a standalone. I loved the idea of the mafia using zombies to get rid of people. What better way to dispose of bodies and leave no trace?

Asher Hawke is an interesting character and I enjoyed the insights into his psyche. The dynamics between him and Allison Harper are wonderful and added a welcome relief from the zombie action.

The book has plenty of action, but is also much deeper than just zombie killing. There are some very different aspects to the monsters in this series. Brian Parker has used his military experience to make the story that much better. There is enough political manipulations to give the story a wonderful depth that is often absent in the Zompoc genre.

The narrator, Andrew Wehrlen, does a great job and his pacing is perfect.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two of the Washington, Dead City series and now moves to Baltimore where millions of the undead are still trapped behind the wall. This book brings back a few of the great characters from the first book and introduces us to a few more. You get caught up in the action and don't want to stop reading. This chilling story tells of a mission to go get some of the most important documents in US history such as The Declaration of Independence to name one. This character driven story grabs you by the throat and never lets go. I recommend this book and series to anyone who loves the zombie/military genre. I'm now diving into the last book of this awesome series.

[mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The new Presidents wish to retrieve some priceless artifacts from Washington sets into motion a horrifying turn of events that leave FBI agent Allison and CIA operative 'kestrel' scrambling to stay alive and ahead of the zombie horde. I really liked Asher's attitude towards violence, he's exactly who you need in the zombie apocalypse! I thought Allison was a bit too focused on being an over achiever, over the small things like surviving! I can't wait to see what disaster and gore awaits in book 3!

[timj26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the same world as book one gnash
Unaware the mob has been increasing the zombie population a new President is determined to recover America’s historical documents from the hot zone
Andrews narration is excellent and always makes the book better
Can’t wait for book three think all hell breaks loose
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

[Jeanineitsme · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book two of a three book series. If you have not read Gnash (Book 1) yet, I strongly encourage you to read it first. Boo two, Rend, can be read alone, but the story continues from Book one and Gnash was such a great read that I’d hate for you to miss out! The next portion is a spoiler if you haven’t read Gnash. In Gnash, a young couple in the Washington DC area are thrust full force into a nightmare as a terrorist group does the unthinkable and unleashes a combination viral and bacterial attack on the Pentagon. Grayson has travelled to Colorado and so he is away from his girlfriend Emory when the attack begins. A similar attack happens where Grayson is and Gnash takes us through the initial reaction to the attack and brings both Grayson and Emory through their stories as they deal with this horror from different points of view. Rend begins as Retired CIA operative Asher Hawke, one of the characters from Gnash, is called to assist in the removal of the country’s most precious documents from inside the Wall, an enclosed area that includes Washington, DC, as well as surrounding areas. The Wall was constructed to keep the remaining undead from the rest of the county in one secure place. The Wall has been guarded by the military, but there are areas where one military branch’s coverage ends and the other military branch begins- an unprotected area- that makes it easy for outsiders to dump things they don’t want found and for thieves to breach the Wall to get to the valuables left behind when the area was abandoned after being bombed. Again, Brian Parker manages to put us right in the hotseat, squirming more than once as the undead seem to be able to communicate and rally against Asher and his unit. The pace is quick and the addition of the military angle make this a story that will appeal to many. I can’t wait until his next book is out!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the containment wall. However, the quest to get some historical documents back out of the radiation & zombie zone seems silly to me. Lots of hooray, we’re Americans fist pumping. While I liked all the action, the radiation stuff was weak. The story would have benefited from a bit more research in radiation safety, like how radiation affects cloth and fabric. Heck, radiation is hard on everything including metal and electronics.

The ladies are romantic interests, once again, and need protecting and lots of reassurance. I liked some things about Ash but in other moments I rolled my eyes. A little bit of mansplaining goes a long way. Ash’s girlfriend, FBI Agent Allison, was OK. I think she would have been a better character without being involved with Ash.

While we met Asher in Book 1, Gnash, he gets to be the star of this book. He’s interesting enough on the surface. With all the action in this series, I don’t really need my characters to have depth. The art thieves group was a fun addition to the story (even if the issue of fencing radioactive art is never really addressed).

It was fun, fast-paced. 3.5/5 stars

Narration: Andrew B. Wehrlen’s narration has improved from book one. Individual words are clearer. The female character voices are better too. He had individual voices for all the male characters. Great voice for Ash. The pacing is still a bit slow. No tech issues. 4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.

[PHYL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Awesome Book. It is as exciting and well written, as the first book in the three book series: "Gnash", which hooked me in. Once I started reading it, I could not stop. The characters are diverse and complex. The zombies, are more vicious and scarier, than the usual 'run of the mill' zombie. The writer is knowledgeable about military strategy and weaponry. This creates a story that is realistic and thought provoking. This information will come in handy if their ever is an apocalyptic situation. All in all, this is a Must Read book. I have already started the last book in the series. "Sever"