“The Bureau of Undead Investigation” by Connor Mackay

The Bureau of Undead Investigation

Connor Mackay
Rank 6 Press (2024)
ISBN: 978-1778028786
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/2024)

“The Bureau of Undead Investigation” by Connor Mackay is set in the future during a time when people are able to receive ‘The Blessing’ from a serum that will keep them conscious after they die so that they can take care of unfinished business. Unfortunately, being Blessed has its limitations. They can think, speak, and move, but they can’t feel anything as their bodies continue to decompose. There are ways to hold off the decay if one has the resources, but only for so long. Eventually even the undead, well… die.

There are different classifications of the undead: Green, Grey, Yellow and Red. The Bureau of Undead Investigation is responsible for keeping the undead of every sort under control for the sake of society and to quell the chaos that could ensue from a bad change. When Lukas and Abby, who are two agents within the unit, discover that there are traitors in their group, they work together to unearth the culprits. When tragedy strikes, they must continue to work under unusual conditions (to say the least) while trying to save the innocent.

Author Connor Mackay really outdid himself by creating this imaginative zombie fantasy. Mackay seamlessly blends in elements of horror, fantasy, and suspense to create the perfect zombie tale. The premise is unique in that in this story, humans want to live on despite being in decaying bodies. I enjoyed the birds-eye view as one of the characters received The Blessing. I got to observe the whole process, with rigor mortis, body prep, and all. The process of The Blessing was rather…  chilling, yet oddly fascinating as a person goes from dead to undead in a short time span.  The intricacies and success of this process depend entirely on one’s ability to pay for all the “extras” that make living the undead life bearable.  So it seems that even in death money and power continue to make the difference: a rather stark yet profound social comment.  It is details such as these that set “The Bureau of Undead Investigation” uniquely apart from any other zombie novel that I have read.

Fans of zombie fantasies will enjoy reading Connor Mackay’s “The Bureau of Undead Investigation.” I suspect that even readers who are not fans of the traditional post-apocalyptic zombie reads will find much to love in the humor, creativity, and occasional absurdity of this intelligent and well-written novel. In addition to the uniqueness of the story, it is also a fast-paced and action-packed adventure. I truly hope there will be more novels to follow featuring these characters from The Bureau of Undead Investigation!