«A Man's Gotta Eat What a Man's Gotta Eat» by Dana Fredsti

Chuck T-Bone is a private detective—A P.I. A gumshoe. A dick. He also happens to be a zombie, in a world where the zombies have taken over, and “fresh meat” is a rare commodity. Where you go into a diner to order an elbow joint with a side of toes. But nothing’s really changed—the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, at least until they fall apart altogether. When a curvaceous member of a famous crime family walks into his office, he’s forced to reopen a case he’d just as soon forget. It’s the one that introduced him to the dame who stole his heart—and got him killed. Trouble is, if it happens again, this time it’s for good. “Fredsti’s humor, her dark, dark humor, is on fine display in this zombie noir novella featuring a private detective with a healthy appetite for revenge. There were times I nearly split my sides with laughter, and others I just sat there shaking my head in stunned appreciation for Fredsti’s storytelling talents. Sometimes I found myself doing both at the same time. This is a writer who knows her craft. Read this and tell me you don’t agree. I dare you!” —Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Savage Dead and Dead City