The idyllic community of Larchfield is rocked to its core when Angus Russell, its wealthiest and most powerful man, is found dead in his mansion on Harrow Hill. A preliminary analysis of DNA gathered at the crime scene points to the guilt of Billy Tate, a dangerous local weirdo whose hatred for the victim was well known. However, Tate fell from the roof of a local church and was declared dead by the medical examiner the day before Russell was killed. And when police rush to the mortuary where Tate's coffin has been placed, they discover that it's been broken open from the inside, and the body inside is gone. So who killed Angus Russell? A zombie? An editor without a summer vacation? Dave Gurney is called in to investigate the series of murders that follow as Larchfield loses its collective mind. Gun sales explode. Conspiracy theory spreads, religious fundamentalism as well. The once quiet town becomes a magnet for sensation seekers, self-proclaimed zombie hunters, TV producers eager for ratings, and apocalyptic preachers rallying the faithful for the end of days. And only Dave Gurney can solve the murders and restore order to the town