The Living with The Dead series should be a sitcom. It’d be the anti-The Walking Dead. I don’t know what it is about these books, be it the current pop culture references or that Shaun of the Dead/Zombieland kind of feel, but I really like them. The lines are genuinely funny, there’s plenty of action and zombie gore, and it’s a perfect length for this kind of story. In short, it certainly packs a punch (or in this case, a shotgun). If you want a departure from the usual drama-filled and highly sexualized urban fantasy series, then this one comes highly recommended. Peterson writes in prose, making it very easy to visualize what’s happening so that the comedy translates better. What’s also good about these books is that you don’t really need to read the previous novels to understand the story. Sure, it does enrich the experience, but Peterson throws reminders out there at just the right time so that it isn’t a distraction or an annoyance. This helps a lot with flow and decent plot progression.
I will say that if you’ve read the prior novels, it is starting to become a tad predictable in terms of their companions that they meet along the way. It’s no longer a “will they disband?” rather it’s now a “when will they disband?” I do rather like some of the characters we’ve met so I don’t always want to see them go. The point is clear that this is all about Sarah, Chris, and the zombies. Thankfully, that’s still good enough.