Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: The Things That Come

AUTHOR: Dan Ackerman

PUBLISHER: Supposed Crimes

LENGTH: 324 Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2019

BLURB:

David never wanted to hurt anyone, but he didn’t ever think he’d ever be made to choose between his own mutilation or someone else’s life. With a threat like that hanging over his head, he returns to his hometown and reconnects with the one person who might believe that the things that come to visit him some nights aren’t just another hallucination.
Between his current predicament, an active serial killer, the still-unsolved murders of his classmates in high school, and trying to make his life livable again, David isn’t headed down an easy path. He’ll need all the help he can get and with a past like his, it isn’t easy to ask.
Lucky for him, an old friend and a new one join together to help David keep himself, and others, out of danger. Or, they do the best they can while trying to stay off the radar of the police, FBI, and whatever it is that’s been making David’s life a living hell.

REVIEW:

I have no idea how I’m going to review this, when I really have no idea what the hell I just read, but I’ll give it my best shot.

This is the second book I’ve read by Dan Ackerman, the last one was a contemporary – with mermaids. This one is a contemporary – with demons and other miscellaneous fuckery. So you might be saying, well then that means it’s paranormal, but no. It’s contemporary with miscellaneous fuckery, because the way this author writes their books, makes demons and mermaids (and miscellaneous fuckery) seem to be an absolutely normal part of our everyday lives. I have no idea how they do it, but despite the fact that the pivotal plot point of this book is that tentacled shadow monsters are harvesting human body parts, that’s not where the story focuses. The focus is on the relationships between our main characters, of whom there are three. No, this isn’t a poly story. It’s story of a schizophrenic bisexual catholic with a fascination for dead bodies, the hard of hearing gay Muslim virgin who falls for him, and the black single mother sex worker who once dated him. If there is a more inclusive book out there I have yet to read it! But having listed it that way, I should reassure you that there is nothing mocking about the way the author has presented these characters. They are all fiercely fucking fabulous, and I know I’m swearing a lot in this review, but some books seem to warrant it.

While I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this story, there are three things that stood out as extra amazing. Firstly, I loved the fact that Zhané is a sex worker who loves her job. Though she was belittled by her family and told she was a bad mother, she was one of those steadfast, strong women who know what they want and are true to themselves. She makes you want to do a fist pump to celebrate her awesomeness. Secondly, the relationship between David and Ahmed. It was awkward, but cute and added some sweetness to a story that was based on murder and torture. It was a mix of the impetuousness of youth and the serious issues that both young men were dealing with. And lastly, the sheer ballsiness of Dan Ackerman to include so many possibly contentious issues in just three characters, and rock the shit out of it. There is race, religion, mental health, sexuality, and more, and to be honest I don’t have the expertise to say whether they nailed everything but these characters are the best that I’ve read so far this year.

So incase you missed it, I loved this book. I absolutely recommend it to everyone, and I know it will be finding its way onto my ‘best of’ list at the end of the year. I kinda hope there’s a sequel, so Sunshine and Specter can get their story, but at the same time The Things That Come was perfect as it is, and why mess with perfection?

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon

Supposed Crimes