Red Hill
When a very ill young woman shows up in the ER after being bitten by a stranger, nurse Scarlet realizes the news reports she’s been listening to about a mysterious epidemic taking hold in other parts of the world has struck close to home, and it’s no ordinary virus. That’s right, some scientist was finally smart enough to figure out how to make zombies but not smart enough to contain an outbreak. Nathan gets the news as he’s picking his daughter up from elementary school, and he races home to find that his wife has selected a very bad day to run off. College student Miranda thinks the worst thing that can happen is missing out on her weekend plans, but her road trip is about to take a decidedly different turn. These three strangers end up on the run together, looking for a safe place to wait out the end of the world in this fast-paced apocalyptic tale. Contemporary romance novelist McGuire effortlessly switches genres with this novel, giving readers plenty of satisfying backstory and well-constructed characters. She even tosses in a love story. --Rebecca Vnuk