Lazarus Stone is about to turn sixteen when, one night, his normal life is ripped to shreds by a skinless figure drenched in blood.

He has a message: The Dead are coming.

Now Lazarus is all that stands in their way. To fulfil his destiny, he must confront not only the dark past of his family, but horrors more gruesome than even Hell could invent. And it all begins with the reek of rotting flesh ...

This book was recognised by the Leeds Book Award.

This is book 1 in The Dead .

This book has been graded for interest at 12-17 years.

There are 256 pages in this book. This book was published 2010 by Hodder & Stoughton General Division .

David Gatward trained as a teacher and outdoors pursuits instructor before working in publishing. He has written numerous titles for Kevin Mayhew publishers, as well as the popular Demon Defenders series for Puffin as Jake Lancing. He has also written To the Extreme (FYI) for Barrington Stoke. David lives in Frome, Somerset.