Donners of the Dead

~~~Jake McGraw was unlike anyone I'd ever known. He was brash, rude, unapologetic and arrogant; chauvinistic, close-minded, and terribly stubborn. He was built like a tree, tall with a hard chest and wide shoulders and hands that looked like they could wrestle a bear. He was a cigar-chomping, scruffy-faced, beast of a man. I was pretty sure I hated him. And I know he hated me. But among the flesh-eating monsters in these snow-capped mountains, he was the only thing keeping me alive.~~~

The year is 1851 and pioneers in search of California gold are still afraid to travel on the same route as the tragic Donner party did years before. When the last wagon train to go into the Sierra Nevada mountains fails to arrive at their destination, Eve Smith, an 18-year old half-native girl with immense tracking skills is brought along with the search party, headed by an enigmatic former Texas Ranger, Jake McGraw.

What they find deep in the dangerous snow-covered terrain is a terrifying consequence of cannibalism, giving new meaning to the term "monster." While the search party is slowly picked off, one by one, Eve must learn to trust Jake, who harbors more than a few secrets of his own, in order to survive and prevent the monstrosities from reaching civilization.

Additional note: This book contains two excerpts from upcoming books - Karina Halle's Dust to Dust (Experiment in Terror #9) and Madeline Sheehan's The Beginning of the End. As such, Donners of the Dead ends at about 95% on your Kindle.

***A note from the author about this book: Donners of the Dead is a historical horror romance set in the Old West of 1851 - couples were often thrust into marriage together with short courtships, racism was widespread and not overly frowned upon, and women had little to no rights. What wouldn't fly in today's day and age was unfortunately the norm back then - it is worth keeping that in mind when reading this book. There are themes of racism and prejudice that might upset sensitive readers.There is also sex, adult themes, and gore, because, you know, zombies.***


Genre: Historical

"Halle delivers stellar writing, sizzling romance, flawed characters and heart-pounding action. Donners grabs on and doesn't let go." - Chelsea M Cameron