Z-Boat, by Suzanne Robb

In the near future, the Earth is gasping her last breath. Smog hovers over the land; no sun has been seen for years. The oceans and rivers are now toxic. But far beneath the ocean, there is potential to find alternative fuel and food and clean water. This is mankind’s last chance.

Iain Kingston captains a search and rescue sub called the Betty Loo. He takes a job after being offered an amount of money he couldn’t refuse. The job is to reach the submarine called the Widowmaker, to find survivors of an unknown event. He has his regular crew, but there are others on the mission - and they seem to be sabotaging the effort.

The dive is rife with complications and danger, not only from the new crew members, but from the ship itself - Iain isn’t sure if the Betty Loo can make such a deep dive, and neither do his regular crew members.

What happened to the crew of the Widowmaker? What will the crew of the Betty Loo find if they actually make it to the other sub? Were there any survivors, and if so, will they be able to shed light on the mystery of their marooned sub?

Z-Boat surprised me. What I thought was going to be a typical zombie story, albeit on a submarine, turned out to be a page-turning story of intrigue and mystery. There are zombies, but they don’t show up until later in the book. But I wasn’t turning the pages in frustration because there were no zombies; I was turning the pages in anticipation because the book is that good. And when the zombies do show up, it’s non-stop gory action for the rest of the book.

If you’re a zombie fan, pick up Z-Boat; you won’t be disappointed. And if you’re not a zombie fan, there’s plenty of action and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.


Review by Sheri White