Fiction Friday: These Things Linger (Dan Franklin)

“These Things Linger” by Dan Franklin cleverly conjures a new type of ghost story that’s compelling, fresh, and unexpected.

Alex Wilson thought he had left behind the small town of Fair Hill, Maryland. He now lives in Virginia with his fiancee, Raychel. They are expecting their first child. When he gets a call that his Uncle Matt has passed away, memories of a rustic existence in Matt’s old trailer surface, along with the final confrontation that caused them to become estranged.

Another memory surfaces of a ritual he reluctantly performed with his ex-girlfriend during adolescence. She wanted to reach out to her recently deceased brother beyond the veil between the living and the dead. Regretting how things ended between them, Alex wants to reach Matt. Once Matt crosses that line between the living and the dead, his life will never be the same again.

With These Things Linger, Dan Franklin has crafted an original supernatural thriller.

Franklin takes his time, building up tension and suspense. During the book’s second half, I was hit with one shocking twist after the other. Alex and Raychel find themselves in a race against time as they are stalked by a spirit who is not only after Alex but their unborn child.

Franklin slowly and meticulously fleshes out Alex’s character, revealing just enough about him to keep us invested.

Author Dan Franklin

Alex is an engineer ruled by logic and reason. When he was younger, he was the kid that everyone picked on, which caused a lack of self-confidence as an adult.

Raychel is strong, independent, and direct, whereas Alex is unsure. In times of distress, they lean on each other. The main characters are opposites but complement each other well.

Franklin peels the layers of story and character away with an assuredly steady pace. His writing is vivid and gory at points, stamping rather gruesome images on the reader’s mind. He knows how to create an image that will make a reader’s skin crawl.

His prose is insightful as he explores complex themes with multilayered characters. Family secrets and trauma are examined alongside an innovative and fresh take on supernatural horror and ghost stories.

These Things Linger is editor and author Dan Franklin’s second published novel, and it’s not hard to see why Franklin has won many awards for short stories and poetry. The book is currently available from Cemetery Dance Publications.

For more information, visit DanFranklinAuthor.com.