Title:
L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo
Author:
Christine Rains
Format:
Novelette ebook
Source:
Author
Genre:
Western Horror
Alma
Sweeney might be scrawny, but the last yahoo that called her “L’il Gal Al” got
shot in the foot.
Using her frontier skills to protect travelers and businesses alike, Alma escorts a group of settlers into Amarillo, a town with too many yellow flowers, drunks, and zombies. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself doing the sheriff's job. He's a nice enough fellow, but a little green, and he has no clue how to stop the horror dragging itself into his town.
Lucky for the sheriff, he has Alma. Her first night in town yanks her into a foul mystery. Zombies walk the streets and people are driven from their homes and businesses. Alma thinks it easily solved, but in the desert, things aren't always as they seem. The clock is ticking and the zombies are swarming. Alma needs to know where to point her gun or else be torn into pieces.
Using her frontier skills to protect travelers and businesses alike, Alma escorts a group of settlers into Amarillo, a town with too many yellow flowers, drunks, and zombies. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself doing the sheriff's job. He's a nice enough fellow, but a little green, and he has no clue how to stop the horror dragging itself into his town.
Lucky for the sheriff, he has Alma. Her first night in town yanks her into a foul mystery. Zombies walk the streets and people are driven from their homes and businesses. Alma thinks it easily solved, but in the desert, things aren't always as they seem. The clock is ticking and the zombies are swarming. Alma needs to know where to point her gun or else be torn into pieces.
Review:
A scrawny yet spunky heroine, zombies, and a good ol’ western standoff fill the
pages of Christine Rains’ L’il Gal Al and
the Zombies of Amarillo.
After leading a group of travelers
safely to Amarillo, Alma Sweeney is ready to mosey on out of town for the next
job. But when she stops a drunk man with a shotgun, the sheriff wants to make
her his new deputy. She declines the offer, but she is willing to stick around—for
a day or two. Yet not all is well in Amarillo. They need L’il Gal Al’s help,
but for once, the danger might be too great for this feisty frontier lady.
L’il
Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo throws the reader back into the Old West.
The characters are well written, especially Alma Sweeney. Rains excels in
creating strong female characters. I don’t think I’ve ever read anyone like
Alma, but she quickly wins the reader over. She’s quick, intelligent,
strong-minded, and spunky. Her strong-will and no-nonsense attitude almost
become a detriment when faced with the supernatural. The plot is fast-paced
like novelettes should be. The zombies are delightfully gruesome, and Rains had
me guessing until almost the very end on what was causing the zombies to rise
from the dead. The writing style suits shorter fiction and horror very well,
and I love how the dialogue gives a hint of the period without going overboard.
Take a bite out of L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo by
Christine Rains, a wonderful horror story set in the Old West. I’d love to see
more of Alma Sweeney and her adventures.
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| Five Bookworms = I loved it! |
