Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

This book is the second in a series, the first being Rot & Ruin.  Dust and Decay begins shortly after the first book and follows our main characters as they decide to leave the santuary of their town and go out into the Ruins to look for a jet they saw at the end of the first book.  The book takes place after a plague or nuclear melt down turns the majority of the world into zombies, or zoms.  The idea of how a society fights to reconstruct laws and acceptable behavior is a strong theme in this book.  Is it okay to live behind your walls and never hope for more.  Paralized by your fear.  The strong character development in these books grabbed me right away and although Benny, a fifteen year old japanese american, and his group of friends lead the story but the older brother Tom is the one that pulls at your heart strings and is the hero of the story.  As far as zombie stories go I recommend this one.