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Safe Zone #1

Safe Zone: The Greater Good: Book 1

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The virus sweeps across South America. The world is on high alert. It's coming for us...

A video hits the Internet and quickly goes viral. A video showing a woman, attacked, bitten and dying.... before rising again.

Experts confirm the video as a fake. A prank. But all the expert denials count for nothing when the virus reaches the UK.

Chloe finds herself left behind, abandoned by Steve who rejoins the army to fight the new enemy. She'll be forced to survive on her own. Whatever it takes.

They must all make sacrifices to do what is right. To do what is right for the greater good.

Don't miss this gritty and harrowing look at the end of the world, featuring a dark, realistic vision of the Zombie Apocalypse that will keep you up at night.

425 pages, Paperback

Published August 10, 2017

272 people are currently reading
191 people want to read

About the author

Suzanne Sussex

9 books23 followers

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5 stars
220 (43%)
4 stars
160 (31%)
3 stars
96 (18%)
2 stars
26 (5%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 15, 2024
Excellent.

A great very tense action-packed book that was hard to put down. Zombie books show up the characters for who they really are and I loved getting to know this lot and seeing them grow and change into the people they need to be if they can survive. A great enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Angie.
372 reviews41 followers
August 26, 2018
The Greater Good is up there with the very best of zombie fiction. There are lots of tense "hold your breath" moments and a great cast of characters, including someone you are so sure you are going to hate who ends up being one of the most likeable. This last thing, alone, I think, is hard to pull of and is one of the reasons The Safe Zone trilogy kicks off with what may be one of the most endearing zombie reads I have ever experienced.
Profile Image for Di .
371 reviews10 followers
May 9, 2024
4.5 stars, and that is only because of the writing style of some of the chapters.
(slight spoil up ahead about the writing style)
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Some chapters are in letter form; if it were just 1 or 2, it wouldn't have bothered me too much. The only reason I give away that much is that some people might have the same issue.
1,827 reviews8 followers
August 7, 2021
Sadly, another one hits the dust. Dnf- 56%
Didn't like the writing style- a bit stilted. Or the different pov's.Also, didn't really care for the characters, especially Sam. Was disappointed when he became a main character. I'm sure he'll change as the story progresses, but I'm not interested. Also, hate when characters act stupidly.
Profile Image for TP.
1,043 reviews48 followers
August 13, 2022
I think it was a good idea to let the characters grow into the apocalypse and make mistakes. But the concept didn’t quite work out in this book. The majority of the readers choosing this genre has already read a lot of books taking place in such a setup and therefore the mistakes the characters did were idiotic and bordered on stupidity. So I lost interest pretty soon.
And the conflict the author started at the beginning, the moral dilemma, being there for your loved ones or serving your oath given the military, wasn’t worked out either in my opinion. The author didn’t weigh all the pros and cons and dove into the matter. We just have a female lead that concludes she understands and puff, the end.
The end. Not really satisfying.
Profile Image for Deborah Nock.
Author 7 books5 followers
August 18, 2017
A great debut novel

I really enjoyed reading this, to the point that I was reluctant to put it down. Characters that are believable and down to earth, humour, love and tension throughout, a great plot that doesn't stretch credulity - basically a great new world. Highly recommended, now on to book two. Can't wait!
Profile Image for Panda_adn.
49 reviews4 followers
October 7, 2017
I have always loved tv shows about zombies however I have not read a book about it.

This book has made me want more! I absolutely loved it and I was so reluctant to even give it a go!

The storyline, and the characters’ progress was great!

I definitely recommend it!
Profile Image for Kat.
2,457 reviews116 followers
did-not-finish
June 10, 2024
Zombie fiction set in the UK. Hitting me weirdly and giving me anxiety. I suppose that means it is written well, but I just can't do it right now.
Profile Image for Joshua Chadd.
Author 14 books90 followers
July 29, 2018
Nowadays, there are zombie books everywhere, so it’s hard to stand out, but Safe Zone does just that. This is a realistic look at the apocalypse, where characters have to deal with real situations and those characters are what made this book so great. Not only were they unique, they were REAL, their actions were real, and their responses to the horror of the end of the world were real. Characters do not get any better than right here!

Sam was my favorite, he may have started off a little rough but by the end, he was kickin’ ass and I could relate to what he was going through. I also loved his dialogue and slang at the beginning of the book. I’m not from the UK so it was awesome seeing the authenticity in the way he talked.

All-in-all this was a great read and I HIGHLY recommend it!!!
Profile Image for Gary.
220 reviews
June 24, 2024
I loved this first book of the Safe Zone Series! Not the typical “viral zombie apocalypse” story. The flow of the story is unique & I was pleasantly surprised by the entire story- looking forward to reading more about these characters. Suzanne Sussex has written an excellent story - this was one of those random finds which I never would’ve thought I’d have chosen to read. But i wanted to find something different from my usual fare. It took a while to find such a book & it has ended up now being one of my new favorite series.
Profile Image for Rachael Horton.
97 reviews3 followers
August 19, 2017
A star in the making

This book for a first time writer is absolutely fantastic! An exciting British story about zompoc beginning with a virus. A fabulous plot with well written characters. The scenes set with brilliant descriptions and imagery. Suzanne Sussex is definitely one to watch and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Great work Suzanne!!
Profile Image for Karina Halt.
676 reviews4 followers
August 11, 2017
I received an ARC for an honest review.
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I enjoyed that the male character developed from a total A$$ to someone you really liked. A very good story, I have to say I cried at the end! Really looking forward to the next book! Recommended!
32 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2017
Well written

Excellent book...well written and very enjoyable. Zombie type virus but no brutal scenes which was refreshing. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Profile Image for Tracey Mccall.
355 reviews8 followers
October 30, 2017
Believable character, storyline flows perfectly. I enjoyed this book and the authors point of view.
Profile Image for Katie Colson.
8 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2022
*spoilers*
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I was quite enjoying this book, it was a good deal of fun! But, and this is a huge but, right at the end Sam dies and I am absolutely disgusted with this novel now!! We had gotten to see Sam grow as a person but it is not him that gets to be redeemed and live, but freaking George! the arse, who could not handle the apocalypse, and whose total lack of skills meant that he was unable to do anything to help Sam!!!! And the novel concludes with him having turned over a whole new leaf!!!! Why does this man, the rich entitled duck, get to have a chance but not Sam? Who had a very crap life and who was only just starting to grow!!! And don’t say Sam would be the one to sacrifice not George, because George snaps it together just at the end, and the novel concludes with him reforming!!!! I am livid at the choice, which made no freaking sense, and I will not be reading more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Matt Egan.
690 reviews12 followers
August 27, 2025
Decent start to zombie series

The Greater Good, book 1 in the Safe Zone series, chronicles the outbreak of 'The Black Flu' and a group of survivors trying to navigate a drastically altered world. The denial of what's happening at first is likely to be an accurate representation of what might occur in the early days of such an outbreak, and the way the book switches between characters in the first person gives an excellent window into the mind of the characters. Some step up in ways you will never see coming, but all display marked growth through the stress and danger they encounter. The narrative quality is good, the plot matches the pacing well and descriptions of the carnage are clear. Overall, 4/5 stars, recommended to any fan of apocalyptic survival thrillers, especially zombie thrillers!
Profile Image for Patty.
29 reviews
February 3, 2021
Great story

Story takes place in the UK. What I liked about it was the characters were just ordinary people. Chloe is left alone when Steve leave to reenlist in the military. She is in shock at first but her survival instinct kicks in and she figures it out as she goes a long. She is not trained but has leadership qualities needed to get their group to safety. I enjoyed the story.
Profile Image for Amanda.
587 reviews5 followers
September 26, 2024
Interesting story

I am enjoying reading this series so far. The plot is very interesting. I like the characters, and some of the events that happened were so sad that my heart broke for the characters. I have not read a book like this yet, and I'm certainly enjoying this genre! I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
462 reviews
December 4, 2020
A good read

I enjoyed readings this book. The characters were some you loved and some you hated but learned to care about as they figured out to survive the Black Plague or zombie apocalypse.
163 reviews4 followers
January 23, 2021
Brilliant and realistic

I have to say this book is better than anything I could imagine, it's my first time reading a book by this author and she is great at creating characters you care for and makes it even harder if and when one of them dies
Profile Image for Joanne Nundy.
Author 14 books22 followers
June 14, 2021
Loved it

Really enjoyed this book. Character development was perfect and so was how stupid they all were in the beginning. Bumbling their way thru a zombie apocalypse was great to read
Profile Image for Barakiel.
522 reviews28 followers
November 12, 2022
Not the best. As you would expect from a female author there is unfortunately a lot of dialogue and feelings and very little action. The author is not a bad writer, but the difference between male and female writers is glaring,

Profile Image for Sofia.
880 reviews22 followers
March 20, 2024
i got the pleasure to listen to the audiobook, and i need to really point this out, i really enjoyed the story, but i really LOVED the audiobook, they did a great job with a full cast and dramatization ^____^ it was as good as a doctor who audio drama, i really had a blast.
269 reviews2 followers
October 1, 2025
In this story I heard echoes of other similar books, but it held my interest. It held my interest despite the fact that this author is a poor writer. I could not count the number of run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and comma splices.
Profile Image for Amelia.
11 reviews
November 14, 2020
Love a strong female lead!

The characters were complex and the story was fun (and stressful lol). I liked the variation in the setting. Good zombie book.
149 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2021
Great

It starts off kinda weird but I grow to love these character and story line! Chloe is a bad a double s lady!!
127 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2021
EXCELLENT READ

Enjoyed the book. Needs a better proof reader but story kept me glued to the book. Highly recommended. S a
Profile Image for MGF MGF.
107 reviews1 follower
November 27, 2021
Easy reading

Great little post apocalyptic start, if it carries on going the way it has started, it's a rival for Chris Artinian and TW Piper
Profile Image for Tim.
723 reviews5 followers
October 15, 2022
I almost DNF’d this one after the guest chapter or so, but it ended up being pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews

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