TITLE: Deadfall
AUTHOR: Shaun Jeffrey
PUBLISHER: Deshca Press
PAGES: 175
RELEASE DATE: Originally 2010; Smashwords Edition 2011
WEBSITE: http://www.smashwords.com/

Amber Redgrave is a private bodyguard for Ms. Hawkins, an elderly woman who believes her late husband had enemies. Amber doesn’t really believe that Ms. Hawkins is in danger; the woman was described to her as a nutter. But one day while shopping together at the mall, Amber’s cushy guard job is sorely tested.

Angry after the horrific turn of events, she questions her boss and ex-lover, John Richmond about what went wrong. He can’t or won’t give any details, and turns the discussion to a new mission he’s about to embark upon. When he leaves the room for a moment, his phone rings and Amber answers it. One of the men on John’s team was pulled off the mission. Without hesitating, Amber volunteers herself.

The team is briefed about their mission – the children of a wealthy businessman have been kidnapped; if the ransom is not paid, the children will be executed. No police can be involved, and this mission is a secret so as not to tip off the kidnappers.

Amber is put in charge of the group, much to Eddie’s chagrin, a member of the team who doesn’t believe women can be leaders. John is also shocked and angered that Amber managed to get herself involved with the mission.

Once they are taken by helicopter to the mission site, it’s a race against time to rescue the children. After being attacked by zombies, though, it becomes clear that they have been lied to and what their mission truly entails.

Deadfall is a different and very cool take on the zombie fad going on in the horror genre these days. Deadfall sticks to many of the usual zombie characteristics – a zombie bite will turn a human into a body, a bullet to the head will destroy it, the zombies eat the flesh of its victim. But these zombies are the result of a military lab experiment – could a zombie army be used against enemies? Is there a way to stop them once they’ve proven their usefulness as a deadly weapon?

Once Amber and her team realize they are being used as test subjects in a deadly experiment, they do everything they can to stay alive, relying on their training and wits. But not all of them will make it out alive. And who is the mole who got them into the situation in the first place?

Deadfall is non-stop action right from the start; you barely get a chance to catch your breath. You begin to care about the characters, and root for them to make it out alive. Your heart sinks when one of them gets bitten; you know what’s going to become of him or her.

The Smashwords version also has an alternate ending; it’s similar to the original ending with just a few minor changes. Both endings do the novel justice.

Shaun Jeffrey has written a fun, suspenseful story for anybody who loves zombies. And if you’re not a zombie fan, let Deadfall turn you into one.