Brownmoor: Episode 1: The Beginning

Brownmoor #1

by D.E. McCluskey

Imagine waking up to a world that had changed.

Imagine finding everything you knew, everything you loved and took for granted was gone.

Imagine all of this happening in the blink of an eye.

Life was normal... until it wasn't.

Things are different now, there is now a new norm. What once was thought impossible, improbable, has happened. An infection has ravaged the country. Hordes of creeps now roam the streets, looking for something, anything to satiate their endless hunger.

Chris and Sam are recently bereaved parents.
Matt, Sophia, Julia, and Josh are coming home from vacation.
Sergeant Johnson has been deployed to up-state New York to defend a small town from some kind of civilian uprising.
Brandon is a henpecked husband who has been pushed too far.

None of these people know each other but they have something in common, something that will bring them together as they struggle to survive this strange new word.

There are only a FEW of them, but they could prove to be the difference, as they strive to find...

BROWNMOOR!

Brownmoor is the latest content from DE McCluskey, author of A Love Story, The Boyfriend, Zola, The Twelve, In The Mood for Murder, and more

125 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2025

About the author

I love horror, and I love Christmas. Some would say that the two are not mutually associated, I would tell you different.

I started writing at Christmas, back in the days of yore. I was reading The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore to my daughter who was too excited to sleep. But, I used my secret weapon, my boring voice she was soon catching the right amount of zzzzz's... As I tiptoed out of the room, giving Santa the space he needed to do his bit, I thought to myself, you know what? I could write something like that...

So I did...

The good Behaviour Act was written, the first story in Interesting Tymes, my very first publication.

I live in sunny Liverpool in the UK with my partner and daughters, I used to work in IT but don't anymore, and am the happier person for it. I love football, music and film... I also enjoy long walks, pretty flowers, and gratuitous violence and nudity...

I can be found mostly on Facebook @demccluskey_author
or on Twitter @dammagedpro @demccluskey1

my website is www.dammaged.com

Reviews

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the same old same old zombie tale and I'm here for it. This definitely seems like it's going to be a promising series!

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brownmoor: Episode 1: The Beginning
by DE McCluskey
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This intense thriller, horror and drama filled book is fantastic!
I went into this story not knowing what to expect and that made it so much fun! This book has gore, creepiness, and lots of crazy-scary excitement! I was super invested from the start! I don’t want to say too much, because I always love the element of surprise!

This story is Episode 1, so I was left with a bit of a cliffhanger and NEED to know what happens next!
Is anyone safe?

This isn’t my typical style of horror to choose, but DE McCluskey made me love this story! His writing style is excellent and he always sucks me in with his books.

Thank you to DE McCluskey for an arc of this spectacular and ghoulish story! With this being Episode 1, it’s a short and fast read.

*It comes out April 17th, so make sure to pre-order now!!*

[Corrina Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect opener for the beginning of what promises to be a brilliantly fun, gory and addictive zombie series.

It's not your usual zombie story though, we get the experience from the main characters pov, his transformation, fears, panic, and his all consuming, rabid hunger as an opener.
And then we see it from another side, from scared families, and soldiers, having to come to terms with what's happening around them, the horror, the disbelief and the outright insanity of it all.

There's something different about these zombies, something that is teased at but not revealed fully, leaving you hankering for more….

It's a short, fast paced read, that's a lot of fun, but also very gross and comes with a side order of humor and heartbreak.

Im looking forward to continuing my Brownmoor journey, I feel like there's so much great stuff on its way!

[Jen Ramsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is zombies with a difference, but still with all the classic zombie tropes we know and love. The book is the first part of a serial, and follows four sets of people as they navigate a strange new world full of horror and hunger. Daves unique writing style shines, allowing him to be both funny and gross in measure, providing a great balance to the story. The characters are all very different, all very human and all very relatable in different ways, and I cannot wait for the opportunity to read more!

[Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of Brownmoor 1: the beginning.

First off, thank you once again to mr mckluskey for the copy.

Its difficult to write a review of this book, since its hard to say anything without going into spoilers, even more so because the book is a little less than 100 pages.
This does mean the book never gets boring though, every page is used to build up either the characters( and often times kill them off as well) or build up the zombie outbreak.

Mr mckluskey carefully balances the feeling of dread and creeping horror, with a few instances of pretty gory scenes.
Funny that the authors note at the end talked about the walking dead. Because thats EXACTLY what i saw in my head while reading. The zombies really came alive(pun intended) because of the descriptions that are used.
As far as i know know(and maybe dave can correct me if im wrong) but this is planned to be a story thats planned for muliple novellas. It doesnt have a exact release date yet though.

[Bellows reads quietly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the game Zombicide. It’s a miniatures game. You play a band of survivors desperately trying to find weapons and supplies. At the same time the board is rapidly filling up with spawning zombies, hell bent on devouring you all. It’s an exciting dice chucker.

Exciting is the word I’d use for the opening prologue to Brownmoor. It really does set the scene for what’s to come. It’s followed by vignettes that show off DE McCluskey’s diverse writing style. One minute he’ll have you retching the next he’s tugging at your heartstrings.

Everything’s here for the Zombie lover but around page 40 something occurs (and keeps occurring) that just adds a little intriguing flavour. The Zombies themselves make you begin to ask certain questions and the ending (drumroll) leaves you ‘hungry’ for more…

Much to the annoyance of many of my other books the second episode of Brownmoor will go straight to the top of my TBR.

[Sharon Marie Provost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished part one of the multi-part series Brownmoor by DE McCluskey. I thoroughly enjoyed this zombie story, and I can't wait for part two. I've been a long-time fan of zombie stories, but this one is a refreshingly different take on the topic. I am eager to see where this goes. Of course, it still has all the wonderful gory descriptions one expects with zombies. I especially love the disgusting imagery from the first character we are introduced to. I highly recommend this book. 5/5 🧟‍♂️!!!!

[Jessie Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my usual cup of tea but when he asked me to look through for edits of course I said yes!
We watch as the world he’s created turns into a flesh eating zombie minefield.
The imagery displayed in this is incredible and intelligently done. I enjoyed this and I really hope there is more to come as we were left on a beast of a cliffhanger that I can’t recover from!

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zombies ain’t dead - they just needed McCluskey to shake them up a bit.

The first in a new series that takes the tropes of the zombie but adds subtle nuance. There is something different about these living dead freaks of nature, but it’s not yet revealed.

Dann it, I to wait for the next one to find out!

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine being on vacation with your family and returning to chaos. Your hometown has turned into a living graveyard of the dead. Or being deployed to New York city to fight the unknown. This is a fantastic story... but I have so many questions..lol. It's gory, suspenseful, creepy and very addictive.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brownmoor is a town that is about to undergo a big change. People are acting crazy with bright yellow eyes. They are attacking people. Matt and his family just want to get home. But home is no longer a safe place.

[AJRXII · Rating 5 out of 5]

First part of a new series from Dave coming out in April. There is a twist coming I reckon. It's a zombie genre so get it on KU when it comes out. Love Dave's work and honoured to be an ARC reader for him. Cheers GET IT SOON!!!

[Kelly Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It works so well as someone fed up with zombie fiction it was refreshing plus I want to know more why the zombies do what they do. Are they being controlled? So many questions for the next book.