I’ve been living with my craving for more “White Trash Zombie” since May, so, when volume five finally arrived, I scarfed it down like a pre-rot zombie would a handful of fresh brains.

Was it good?

No.

It was Fan-Fuckn-Tasticly good.

What makes it work so well is that, after the Zombie-world-building adventures of “White Trash Zombie Apocalypse” and “How The White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back”, Diana Rowland has narrowed her focus and concentrated on Angel again.

Angel isn’t doing so well. “White Trash Zombie Gone Wild” picks up from the doom-laden ending of the last novel where ex-junkie Angel is craving a new drug – V12 – which might destroy the life she’s built for herself since becoming a zombie.

The first part of the book gives a very plausible view of the lies we tell ourselves about our addictions and what they’re doing to us. It was scarier than all the machete-wielding, baseball bat-swinging, gun-toting hunters. It made Angel more human than ever and made you love her more.

The plot is complicated, fits well with the overall story arc and yet remains character-driven, which is what makes it so good to read.

I loved the friendship between Angel and her loser ex-boyfriend. Just because they don’t want to date anymore doesn’t mean they don’t care for each other. Angel knows that although he lacks ambition, will always take the easy road and will never be far away from trouble, he has a good heart and she wishes him well. Of course, that doesn’t stop her shouting at him and threatening him when she thinks he’s going off the rails. This is Angel Crawford we’re talking about and channelling red-necked pissed-offedness  is one of her talents.

Throughout the book Angel finds herself having to reconsider what she thought she knew about people, including herself. This willingness to learn, combined with her determination to pull her skinny-assed weight even if that means putting herself in danger, is what makes her so likeable.

A great deal of my pleasure in these books comes from the remarkable performance Allison McLemore gives. She IS angel. If you have the chance to listen to “White Trash Zombie Gone Wild”, take it. Allison McLemore brings the whole thing alive. Click on the SoundCloud link below to hear her for yourself.