One for 2012? 'The Return Man' (V.M. Zito)

You all know the drill by now :o) My doormat is starting to see books land on it that won't be on the shelves until as late as March next year. I'm having enough trouble getting this year's books read so I won't be reviewing next year's books just yet. What I am doing though is giving you folks a little heads up on what you can expect to see putting in an appearance next year. Take 'The Return Man' (due to be published in March 2012) for instance...

The outbreak tore the USA in two. The east remains a safe haven. The west has become a ravaged wilderness. They call it the Evacuated States.


It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead to deliver peace.

Now Homeland Security wants Marco, for a mission unlike any other. He must return to California, where the apocalypse began. Where a secret is hidden. And where his own tragic past waits to punish him again.

But in the wastelands of America, you never know who - or what - is watching you . . .

I've got mixed feelings about this one I have to say... 'The Return Man' is all about zombies and that's great as far as I'm concerned, if there are zombies in a book then it's at least 50% guaranteed that I'll enjoy it. Having said that though, that second sentence in the blurb makes the book sound a little too much like Jonathan Maberry's 'Rust and Ruin' for comfort (I haven't actually read the book yet but have read the Maberry short story where it came from). I'll be reading 'The Return Man' but I'm hoping for a little more than what it's promsing here... How about you? Can you see yourself picking this one up?