BLUE MOON

Molly and her intrepid team of Omegas continue their fight against the undead of New York City.

The four friends from Dead City (2012) solve a riddle that leads them to the attic of the Flatiron Building, where they join the elite Baker’s Dozen. In order to avoid detection, they can only use paper and a manual typewriter. Smart preteens that they are, they search for patterns and are able to track the zombies through Manhattan subway stations. The zombie in charge of the Union Square station has used aliases such as Grant, Burnside and McClellan, they learn. More sleuthing takes place during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and culminates in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Milton Blackwell, one of the original undead—the one responsible for the 1896 subway explosion—gets a voice in occasional chapters as he tells his story. Ponti’s often humorous narrative focuses on deduction and detective work, but there is enough gore, smell and martial arts fighting to suit action-oriented fans. Museums, the Roosevelt Island tramway and Grand Central Station all play important roles. What stands out is the fascinating twist that the author introduces as zombie fighting morphs into political intrigue. The undead are determined to gain control—but not through fists and kicks. New Yorkers beware!

Adventure, sleuthing and a NYC travelogue in one quick read.