Seeing Dead by Edgar D Jackson

The street in Gealblath, Scotland, was the same as it had been every day. None of the players had changed. None of the scenery. It was like a painting on a wall. 

And there, where the path began to dip, the school bus arrived at the place it normally arrived. It would be there for two minutes only, and so Charlie began to jog. He spotted his friend sitting near the rear window and an empty seat beside him. 

The fact there remained an empty seat soon became a fact that haunted the town he lived in.'

***

It was on a foggy day in 1988 that Charlie Cooper made his way to the school bus for the last time. 

Ten years have passed since then, and what remains is a town faded by missing person posters. An empty seat in the local police station. A father who has become an unwanted ghost, sipping cold ones in the corner of a woodland tavern. 

And, apart from that, there is a girl. Amee Florence is thirteen, with mousy grey hair and a cool, pale complexion. She's starting here first day at school, but she's nothing like the other children. There's a secret behind her eyes that she keeps hidden. A secret that could help unfog that day in 1988, and reveal the real reason Charlie Cooper never came home

Review

‘Seeing Dead’ is a riveting sci-fi mystery set in a small town in Scotland. It is reminiscent of Stephen King and is very accomplished for a debut novel. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what the author does next as I thoroughly loved this book.

This is a chunky read but this allows you to truly get to know the characters and this world. Could some of the beginning section of the book be condensed, maybe, but I truly enjoyed every moment I got to spend in this world. The three main pivotal characters of Amee, Marty and Mr Cooper were all extremely well-developed and nuanced. All three were dealing with trauma in different ways and the author showed a lot of empathy in how he portrayed them to his readers. In particular, Mr Cooper was inspired in how he reacted to his cards being dealt and I was rooting for him right from the beginning. Did he make mistakes? Sure, but that is what made him come across as authentic and human.

There is a supernatural element to the book but the story is really about human emotions and how circumstances cause us to react and either evolve or devolve. But the author has a canny knack for even making you understand and empathise with the bad guys, well the main one anyhow. The friendship between Amee and Marty is the highlight of the book - pure, refreshing and a delight to read about!

This book really pulled me in and once I had figured out the timelines etc I couldn't put it down and devoured it over a weekend! The writing was immersive, sharp and at times heartbreaking. It was definitely a unique premise and I can't wait to see what comes next from the author.

Let me know if you pick this one up!