What can you do when everything in your life spirals out of control? I read this book with tremendous fear and wonder. I felt really creeped out by Buzz’s story about the girl in the lake. I, too have a fear. Mine is someone standing over me while I sleep. I know that reading this book will drag those nightmare out of the closet. Every page I turned my hope for a good outcome for Alex slipped slowly down the drain. I felt really sorry for Alex. He decided to open a door that should have remained closed but that pull to talk to his uncle one last time was too strong. This book could be a guidebook as to what not to do when you miss someone terribly.

I hadn't read any of Franklin's work before These Things Linger, although I had seen a lot of hype for it, and I didn't really know what to expect. I ended up going in nearly completely blind, apart from seeing some people saying this book would break some hearts - fortunately for me it lived up to the hype, both as far as hype, and providing an emotional gut-punch.

The story revolves around Alex, who was raised by his uncle. Once close, they had stopped talking or seeing eachother, and remained estranged until the uncle's passing. Remembering a childhood friend who had tried to contact the dead, Alex decides to attempt it himself in a bid to speak to the man one last time - only to discover that when you call out into the beyond, something else may just answer you.

I thought this was a fantastically written book, with more than one passage that I re-read to enjoy the prose. Franklin does a great job of making the characters relatable and making the reader root for them - even if they may not necessarily like or agree with all of their choices - while also showing no hesitation in making them suffer and hurt. I went into the last pages unsure if our protagonists would win, escape, or even survive, and as we entered the final showdown I had to remind myself to breathe and to loosen my grip on the Kindle just a little. Even though it often hurt, I appreciated having no idea of what was to come, and couldn't stop myself from reading one more chapter every time.

The book tackles a lot of deep and emotional issues, with as much focus on grief and closure as there is on scares and rituals. This balance worked perfectly for me, making for an entertaining, but often heavy, experience.

Although early in the year, I expect this to be right up there when remembering my favourite books of 2024. I found the praise around These Things Linger to be more than justified, and would encourage any horror fan to give it a try.

What would you do if someone close to you died and you couldn't say goodbye? Would you mourn them, or bring them back from the dead?

All the ghost stories (Bloody Mary, Candyman, etc) scared me as a child, this was no different. This took that to a whole new level and then some.

You want to see your family member again? Just be careful what you wish for.

3.5 stars. Grief horror is one of my favorite sub-genres, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. I flew through the first 100 or so pages, loving the opening bathroom scene and the subsequent boat one. Solid ending as well. However, I was hoping for more emotional pull from this story. Part of problem is the surface level characters, particularly the main character, Alex. I never quite grasped who he actually is, so it became difficult to be invested in his story.

Alex wants to reach his dead uncle to make things right. Alex better be careful something else is in this town It is hungry. Do things really die or do they wait. Chilling read full of suspense filled creepiness. Pulls you in.

After a decently rough life, Alex has everything going for him. A decent job, a house, a loving fiance, and a baby on the way. One day he gets a call - his uncle, the man who raised him, has passed away.

Years before, he had a falling out with him. He was there for him every step of the way until their fight, and now Alex is full of regrets. He goes back to the trailer Uncle Matty left to him to see the sad life he led in the years they had no contact. Grief appears in many ways. Desperate ways.

Alex remembers an event that happened with a girl in high school, one longing to bring her deceased brother back. He remembers the steps. He also remembers getting interrupted and it not working. But he also remembers the footprints he found in the tub.

He attempts to summon his uncle back. He wants to apologize. He just wants closure. But what appears isn't what he wanted. It's not what he wanted at all.

These Things Linger confronts grief and terror in ways that I never encountered before. There were several parts of the book where I wondered what was going to happen next because there was either too much left in the book or too little left in the book for it to continue going in the same direction. There's so much despair. So much pain.

The cover art? Brilliant. It takes new meaning once you realize what it really is.

I absolutely loved this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dan Franklin, and Cemetery Dance Publications for the ARC!

This title says it all! This book had me paranoid and filled me with a sense of dread. It was fast paced, and a lot of times it feels like more like a movie than a book. The descriptions were so vivid, and the entity is just terrifying! This book is creepy and heart breaking all at the same time.

When Alex’s estranged uncle, the man who raised him, dies, he finds himself desperate for answers and closure. In an attempt to gain these, he tries an old summoning he learned when he was young from a girlfriend—but what ends up coming through to the other side now puts the lives of his fiance, unborn child, and the entire town in peril.

Including themes of family secrets and legacy, the occult, and making amends, this book was a unique story that was both horrifying and touching. The “entity” was extremely unique and the descriptions were detailed and terrifying. The characters in this book were well written and interesting and there were quite a few twists I did not see coming that made me want to read this book in one sitting. Without giving anything away, I usually hate endings like this one but for this book it was well played. This is the second book by Dan Franklin that I have read, and I am really loving the writing and style so far. Keep them coming! Thank you to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for the ARC.

This horror novel explores grief, loss, and regret with utterly horrific elements along the way! 😱 The entity gives off major creepy vibes, especially in the earlier part of the book, but in the end I wasn’t quite sure what it really truly was. All in all, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it! ❤️

TW: animal death

Thank you to NetGalley, Cemetery Dance, and Dan Franklin for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Cemetery Dance Publications strikes again! These Things Linger by Dan Franklin is a nightmarish masterpiece. From the first page of this novel, the reader is sucked in. Something is obviously wrong in Alex’s world, but from a literary standpoint, it is oh so right.

90% of this book was absolute perfect. It was the last 10% of sci-fi horror that is somewhat reminiscent of Andy Davidson’s The Hollow Kind and Stephen King’s The Mist that actually threw the story off for me. I appreciate the shock factor but honestly wanted a true haunting, ghost eater type story. Otherwise this book was an absolute win and I will be recommending it highly, especially around Halloween!

Very fitting name as this book does seem to linger a lot. Significantly too long and slow as all hell for very little seemingly to happen throughout. I get being a slow burn for atmosphere building but this really did little to help at all.

I enjoyed the story even though it was a little different to the horror I normally read. The scary stuff was a bit slow to start but once it did I enjoyed it.

As teens Alex and his then-girlfriend Lacey started a ritual to bring back her older brother, who had died in the army. They left the ritual unfinished. Many years later, Alex does the ritual again when his estranged Uncle Matty dies , hoping to ask some lingering, unanswered questions. The ritual succeeds and Uncle Matty returns, but something has come with Uncle Matty. Something troublesome.

I found that this book held my interest throughout. The concept was compelling and
interesting…the consequences of attempting to contact the dead. What can happen when you open a door that was meant to remain closed, The story had heart interspersed with the horror, and that was a nice touch.

While I enjoyed the actual story I found the author’s style a bit cumbersome and difficult to follow at times. I felt that I had to over-concentrate at times. The ending also felt slightly unfinished. I would love to see an excellent editor pour through this book and tweak it a bit for continuity.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CemeteryDancePublications for the opportunity to read and review #TheseThingsLinger

When he was a teenager, Alex and his then-girlfriend Lacey started (but never finished) a ritual to bring back her older brother, who had died in the army. Years later, when Alex's estranged Uncle Matty dies, Alex does the ritual again, in the hopes of asking his late uncle a few questions he'd never asked. This time, the ritual works, and Alex brings back Matty... as well as something else.

The premise and the characters of this story are sound (poor kid escaping home, complicated feelings of grief, good intentions go super bad) but the execution and plot are all over the place. Every time I thought I got a handle on what was going on, the story swerved — but not in a good way. Meh.

ARC provided by NetGalley

This was my first book by Dan Franklin and it definitely won't be my last. Franklin has a way of writing that is both beautiful and haunting. The characters in the story were very much three dimensional and I greatly enjoyed experiencing the main character's growth and development throughout the story. I'm also a great critic of endings, especially in horror books, and I found the ending to this book to be quite fitting.

Alex Wilson seems to have it all: a decent job, a fiancé, a baby on the way, and even his own home. But when the uncle who raised Alex passes away, he finds himself in search of answers. Through some horrible choices and utilizing a ritual learned in his young adulthood, Alex attempts to summon the ghost of his dead uncle. However, far more than a ghost manages to make its way through from the other side.

Haunting and atmospheric, this horror novel will leave a lasting impression. Though the horror itself is a bit slow to get started, the heartbreak will be sure to linger long after the story is over.

I loved Dan Franklin’s Eater of Gods! This book was just as good if not better! This is a fast read of super natural entities! Dan Franklins character and world building are massive in this one! This book left me excited for more from Franklin!

I really loved this book but I feel like it lacked something other than proper formatting. I also felt like it says ‘these things linger’ way to much! It’s due to be published February 15, 2024 and I am hoping that the author Dan Franklin will make a second edition of this book and get an editor. I have no doubt it could be a top seller and even be turned into a movie.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for allowing me to ARC read this! I was not paid to read this and is my honest opinion.

Really impressive. It's scary, it's heartfelt, it's fun and it's ugly. Can't ask for more than that. This one's a good one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

This was well-written and I should note how nice the layout was. But I am so particular about horror and I didn’t love the story. It was 100% a me thing as I find horror has to hit in a specific way for me for it to work.

An incredible read for those looking for the following themes: supernatural, small town & family trauma, mental health.

Pacing works well, character development is great and growing up in a rural town it reminded me of people I know.