Death in the Ashes

Book excerpt: In the New York Times–bestselling author’s post-apocalyptic thriller, a rebel leader must face an old rival to save America from the ashes. The war against the cannibalistic Night People continues as Ben Raines and his rebel army initiate a scorched-earth policy, systematically destroying the once great cities of America and forcing the half-human, half-hellborn monsters into the open. But as the rebel mop-up team pushes through the smoking rubble of Dallas, Raines is nearly shot and killed. The death squad was dispatched by Matt Callahan, a warlord headquartered near Custer's battlefield in Montana. Like Ben, Matt was a writer before the Great War, but unlike Ben, Matt has chosen a lawless path. Now Ben must go north, and face his old friend in hand-to-hand combat—as one more bloody last stand is fought on the banks of the Little Big Horn to decide the fate of America. Eleventh in the long-running series!