Manel Loureiro Books in Order

Manel Loureiro was born in Pontevedra, Spain, on December 30, 1975. That Galician city has remained a major part of both his life and his fiction, with its rain, coastline, ports, and local atmosphere giving his thrillers a strong sense of place.

He studied law at the University of Santiago de Compostela and worked as a lawyer. He also spent years in television, working as a screenwriter and presenter on a range of programs. The experience gave him practice telling a story clearly and keeping an audience moving forward.

Writing began almost by accident. In 2005, tired of legal language and looking to create something far removed from his day job, Loureiro started posting a zombie story online in installments. Readers kept coming back for the next entry, and the project grew into Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, published as a novel in 2007.

A blog turned into a new career.

The Apocalypse Z books follow an ordinary Galician lawyer and his Persian cat, Lucullus, as a terrifying infection tears through society. The series combines the immediate feel of a personal diary with survival problems that get bigger and messier with every book. Its success took Loureiro's work well beyond Spain and brought his stories to readers in many languages.

He didn't stay with zombies alone.

In The Last Passenger, British reporter Kate Kilroy investigates the unsettling history of an ocean liner that vanished into legend. Fulgor, published in English as Only She Sees, follows Casandra after a devastating accident leaves her with a frightening ability and dangers closing in on her family. Later, When the Storm Passes puts writer Roberto Lobeira on the isolated island of Ons, where a storm, old grudges, and an ominous discovery make escape impossible.

Loureiro often starts with people who are not looking for trouble. A lawyer, a reporter, a recovering woman, or a blocked writer is pushed into a situation where normal rules stop working. His books return to questions of survival, loyalty, fear, grief, and the bad choices people make when power or safety is scarce. Galicia is more than scenery in these stories, especially its rough Atlantic weather, islands, and close-knit communities.

His work also shows a liking for pressure-cooker settings. A locked-down home, a ship at sea, an island cut off by weather, or a walled settlement can turn a small group of people into a source of tension all by itself.

Loureiro lives and works in Pontevedra. Alongside his novels, he has continued to contribute to newspapers, radio, and television, keeping one foot in the world of public conversation while writing stories built to make a quiet place feel unsafe.