If you want a book that is just plain weird then you really need to try Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig, book one of his Miriam Black series. Miriam is a drifter who wanders around the country hitching rides and robbing dead bodies. Mind you, she doesn’t actually kill anyone but she has the rather unusual ability of knowing exactly how and when someone is going to die the second she makes skin contact with them. So she robs the bodies of people she knows are already going to die. While not exactly content or happy with her life she is also reluctant to change, at least until she meets Louis. Louis is a trucker who gives her a ride one day and Miriam promptly freaks out when she learns that he is going to die in just over a week and that he will die saying her name, implying that she will be there to watch it happen. Ditching Louis, and the ride, she ends up in trouble when a fellow drifter shows up claiming to know her secret. He then decides to blackmail her into using her abilities to con people instead of just stealing from the bodies. As things spiral out of control for Miriam she realizes that just maybe all of this is related.
I honestly had no idea what to expect when I decided to try this one out, all I really knew was that it sounded interesting. Which it was but it also ended up being way darker and somewhat creepier than what I was expecting. I have read books about people who are supposedly psychic but even that did not actually prepare me for this one. The idea that just by having skin contact with someone you can know instantly how they are going to die is way more macabre when actually diving into the story, just saying. I also underestimated the mental effect it would have on Miriam but I think that was mostly because I didn’t realize she has absolutely no control over it and cannot prevent it from happening. It kind of makes for a messed up story and a really messed up character. That being said, the story did a great job of exploring how something like that might actually work and the effects it would have on the person possessing the ability. One of the things that stood out because of that was the overall personality of Miriam and it makes me wonder how much of her personality is because of her ability. She definitely is one of those people that just doesn’t care what other people think of her, for the most part. It lends a certain honestly and bluntness to her character which is both entertaining and mildly disturbing at times. The book gets four out five stars from me and makes me highly curious about where the series might go in the future.
As you might have gathered this book is probably best classified as an adult thriller and would most appeal to readers who tend to enjoy that genre. However, I want to clarify that this book is definitely darker and more macabre than a lot of other thrillers I have read. It also has considerable violence and gore throughout with numerous other potentially concerning behaviors so it is definitely not appropriate for younger readers. I would be extremely hesitant to recommend this one to underage readers because of that. It was still good though and was well written so if it sounds like something you might like consider trying it out. If you do, consider sharing your thoughts about it in the comments.