DEATH AIN'T BUT A WORD

Debut author Marks delivers a sixth-sense thriller with a twist.

On the surface, Wilkin Jones may look like a homeless crackhead, but underneath his streetwise facade is a decent, loyal, well-intentioned young man—who just happens to see dead people. A few years after the murder of his best friend, Humphrey, when they were both were 7 years old, Wilkin lost his entire family in a car accident. Now, 23 years later, Wilkin is still on the streets, and he commits occasional burglaries with his friend Broderick (though Wilkin does it with a guilty conscience). Most of the time, however, Wilkin does honest work, for no pay, at a local motel where Humphrey’s body is buried; Humphrey’s ghost keeps him company. When Humphrey’s murderer buys the motel with the intention of digging up the remains, Wilkin realizes that his abilities getting stronger. Meanwhile, Humphrey’s ghost has plans that will put their friendship to the test and put Wilkin right in the killer’s sights. In his debut, Marks conjures an intriguing tale with an unlikely protagonist, and he may have also created a new urban-fantasy subgenre. Wilkin is a crackhead with a big heart, and, similarly, Marks’ prose provides a sense of hope and humanity in bleak situations. He also delivers a thought-provoking story, with a high level of creativity and flair. Despite a plot shift at the halfway point, which slightly slows down the narrative flow, Marks builds a solid storyline that is consistent and well paced, with just the right amount of intensity throughout.

An imaginative, offbeat urban-fantasy effort.