Wake - Elizabeth Knox

When police officer Theresa Grey is called to the New Zealand town of Kahukura on Tasman Bay, she drives straight into a horror story. The locals have been overwhelmed by a sudden collective madness, causing them to kill themselves and each other in truly gruesome ways. First, Theresa tries to help; then, she is forced to run for her life. An hour later, she emerges to a scene of carnage.

There are thirteen other survivors. Slowly, they find one another and face their new reality: trapped in the town by some kind of invisible force-field, cut off from the world outside.

What begins as a story of horror becomes a story of survival. Together, they must bury the dead, become a community, face their own fears and weaknesses. Ultimately, they must fight for their lives - because whatever caused the insanity is still at large. And it hasn't finished.

Rich with atmosphere, alive to character and emotion, Wake is a riveting tour-de-force. A book about extreme events, ordinary people, heroic compassion - and invisible monsters.