Decent novel that is recommended for all fans of the genre. Two stars because I liked it but there were areas that could use improvement.

A very interesting book. Definitely had me thinking. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

I really loved the premise behind this story. The EMP, the ex-cop turned 911 operator, and especially the prepper angle. Unfortunately, there were a few things I didn’t love but let’s talk about the good stuff first.

As I mentioned, great plot!

The power mysteriously goes out all over the city just as “Parker” is taking an emergency call from a young girl begging for help. Because of his tragic past, he is compelled to help this girl and when chaos breaks out he realizes no one else will. We quickly learn that in addition to the main character being a former police officer, he is also a “Prepper”.

A Prepper is defined as “a person who believes a catastrophic disaster or emergency is likely to occur in the future and makes active preparations for it, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies”. This puts a very interesting twist on the story because as such, Parker is literally ready for any situation and trust me, he encounters loads of dangerous scenarios throughout the story.

Another thing I quite liked about this one, was its motley crew of characters, particularly a young spitfire named “Finn”. She’s fiercely brave and is the perfect contrast to “Parker’s” more serious nature. They make a fantastic team.

Unfortunately, there were things about this story that I disliked as well. The biggest being the author’s over-description of EVERYTHING! I hate that in a story. I’m all for strong adjectives peppered through a good book but I don’t need to read a paragraph on every minute detail. This drove me bananas to the point where my overall rating was effected. I don’t care what each and every gun is called and what calibre the ammo is, and what direction the wind must be blowing in order to use it. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but only slightly which is a shame because otherwise, it’s a great read.

There were a few other tiny things but nothing else that detracted from the story. I think each reader will have varying opinions on this book, and your reading experience will be more about personal taste. For example, I read this one out load to Mr. Shanannigans and he loved it. Me, I liked it enough but I don’t think I will read any other titles. Just not my style.

Rating… C+

*Thank you to Netgalley for my digital copy of Dead Lines in exchange for my honest review.

When I requested this I didn't realize it would be nonsensical prepper fantasy. The action at the very beginning is interrupted for a lovingly-detailed info dump about every single thing one of the protagonists had in his backpack.

And it just went downhill from there.