Joe McKinney Books In Order

Publication Order of Dead World Books

Publication Order of Dead Lands Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of The Retreat Books

Publication Order of Best New Zombie Tales Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Author Joe McKinney has written novels from many genres, some of which include: ghost story, horror, virus thriller, science fiction, and crime. With all that he has written, he is also with the San Antonio Police Department working as a sergeant and works as a patrol supervisor for San Antonio’s west side. Before this, he worked as a detective in homicide, and a specialist in disaster mitigation. He also assisted with the running of the 911 Dispatch Center.

He works and lives in a tiny town outside of San Antonio with a wife and two kids.

Much of his fiction work features a sense of realism and quite a bit of realism that comes from his years spent working in the field of law enforcement. He has addressed some of the prejudice that female officers have faced, both from fellow officers and the public. In one novel, he was able to focus on some of the in-station activities the officers engage in. He likes exploring some of South Texas’ rich history, the outlaws (either well known and/or lesser known), and even some mysteries that have long gone unsolved.

McKinney has won two Bram Stoker awards, one for “Dog Days” in the Superior Achievement in a young adult novel in the year 2014. He also won the award in the year 2012 for best novel for “Flesh Eaters” (the third novel in the “Dead World” series).

“Dead City” is the first novel in the “Dead World” series and was in the year 2006. The Gulf Coast gets hit by three huge hurricanes, and there is an outbreak of a deadly virus. It turns those infected into blood thirsty and mindless zombies. After just a few hours, the plague spreads throughout most of the state of Texas and there is little to zero sign of it slowing.

Eddie Hudson, a police officer with San Antonio police, finds that he is caught in the middle of things with some of the other survivors. Eddie tries his best to fight the horde of zombies off and find both his son and wife. He believes they are still safe and have not been infected.

Fans of the novel enjoyed reading this and found themselves finishing it off within a few days. It has a realistic plot, and is full of action that does not quit, zombie gore, and some great character building. Readers had a hard time simply putting the book down for very long and getting to sleep. Readers were hooked and just wanted to know what would come next.

“Apocalypse of the Dead” is the second novel in the “Dead World” series and was released in the year 2010. Two years of hell have gone by since the hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast, and the dead reanimated from the ashes. Cities were quarantined as a result, and the infected were contained.

Any of the unlucky survivors had to stay alive all on their own. Just a single boatload loaded with refugees is able to get out alive. There is one carrier of the virus, however, on board this ship.

Fans of the novel like the way this one continues the story of the first one by focusing on new characters, situations, and story lines. Through this book, McKinney is able to raise the bar higher as far as zombie stories go. It is a solid story that is packed full of terror and one that is in the epic genre by the end. Some enjoyed this one more than book one in the series, and are glad they gave this one a shot in the first place.

“Flesh Eaters” is the third novel in the “Dead World” series and was released in the year 2011. Houston is quarantined so that the spread of the zombie virus is stopped. Anyone that tries to escape gets shot dead, whether they are living or dead. Emergency Ops sergeant, named Elanor Norton, has a tough job ahead of her. She salvages boats and collects all the explosives she can get her mitts on. All the while, her and her team try to maintain some kind of order during the chaos. The feeding frenzy starts when civilization breaks down.

All of the flesh eaters increase the ranks by the hour, as they bite, feast, and gnaw but crave more and more. Doomsday is coming, and Elanor has to focus on those that she loves the most, both her daughter and her husband. Not to mention the band of the other survivors that is adrift in waters that are infested with zombies. If she is unable to get them into the zone that has been quarantined, every single one of them is dead meat.

Fans of the novel found this book shows what zombie stories should be about, which is people. Not the zombies that populate them, but the people that are still around struggling to fight on against the living dead. The book is a thoroughly enjoyable book with characters that leap off the page and seem to be real people. At the same time, the setting is fully imagined and realistic. The pacing never drags for an instant.

“Mutated” is the fourth novel in the “Dead World” series and was released in the year 2012. 25 to 1 are the odds of getting the plague and coming back. It forces humans to band together to survive the dead.

Dissension tears its way through those that are alive still. The Red Man, who is a new leader, rises up and takes charge. He is just about as dangerous as the zombies humans are trying to stop and avoid becoming. Bob Richardson and friends, as well as others, are striking out on their own to fend for themselves now. They do this so the men with the guns or zombies do not get them.

Richardson and his band of friends leave the city and find safe haven in a farm someone’s abandoned. Their stronghold is not quite strong enough it seems. There is something odd and scary happening to these undead. They are teaming up together and working as a group. They hunger for one common goal. A lot of human flesh.