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There Used to Be People Here
In 1970s Mississippi, a Black detective and his temporary partner are assigned to a case that shifts from murder to paranormal conspiracy with life-altering repercussions.
Wenton, Mississippi: A man enters the bathroom of a local gay bar and doesn't come back out. Instead he's found cold, on the floor, and facing the wall. And no one seems to know how this happened.
Samuel Barkley is Wenton's only Black detective. Assigned to the case, Samuel's one goal is to keep his head down with eyes on moving up in the police ranks. But it's not easy with Harvey, a new, temporary partner who Samuel can't seem to like...or hate. Nor with the cold, questioning eyes and fake smiles from those in town. Persistent. Judging. Wrong. Samuel is reaching his breaking point.
As his investigation leads him to a curious plane crash cover-up, Samuel's placid existence is turned on its head. Because what crashed in Wenton isn't a plane. There are others here. They like it here. And if Samuel can't stop them, they will find a way to stay.
With shades of The X-Files and S. A. Cosby, There Used to Be People Here deftly explores race, queerness, and existing as other in a society that demonizes everything different.
Wenton, Mississippi: A man enters the bathroom of a local gay bar and doesn't come back out. Instead he's found cold, on the floor, and facing the wall. And no one seems to know how this happened.
Samuel Barkley is Wenton's only Black detective. Assigned to the case, Samuel's one goal is to keep his head down with eyes on moving up in the police ranks. But it's not easy with Harvey, a new, temporary partner who Samuel can't seem to like...or hate. Nor with the cold, questioning eyes and fake smiles from those in town. Persistent. Judging. Wrong. Samuel is reaching his breaking point.
As his investigation leads him to a curious plane crash cover-up, Samuel's placid existence is turned on its head. Because what crashed in Wenton isn't a plane. There are others here. They like it here. And if Samuel can't stop them, they will find a way to stay.
With shades of The X-Files and S. A. Cosby, There Used to Be People Here deftly explores race, queerness, and existing as other in a society that demonizes everything different.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published November 3, 2026
About the author
Kennedy Cole
1 book83 followersKennedy Cole is a speculative author with a BFA in Creative Writing and a Certificate in Publishing. Born in North Carolina, she lives by the beach with her partner and enjoys playing games, puzzling, sipping matcha, and collecting tattoos. Her creative portfolio includes an array of published fiction, poetry, and nonfiction with Oakland Arts Review, Carolina Muse, Second Story Journal, and others. There Used to Be People Here is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
November 5, 2026
I absolutely loved the premise of this one. The setting sets the tone in a small Mississippi town, where a murder has taken place at a gay bar on the outskirts of town. Samuel, the town’s only Black detective, is assigned to the case along with a new partner. As they start investigating the crime, the trail leads them to a mysterious plane crash right outside of the town. What is up with this plane crash, and why won’t the feds give them access?
I really liked the plot and how it combined a few different genres along with the undercurrent of heavier themes, such as homophobia and racism. The first few pages jumped right into the plot and had me invested right away.
So why the three stars? I couldn’t connect with the writing style. There were times that I had to reread certain paragraphs because they got a bit wordy, which in turn took me out of the story. I was really frustrated that I couldn’t get immersed in it because the plot itself, from a surface level, was really good. I had a similar issue with the characters. I felt for what they were going through, but I couldn’t FEEL it, if that makes sense.
I do think this is one to check out, and it may work better for other readers than it did for me. This is the author’s debut novel, so I would definitely still be interested in reading any future novels.
I really liked the plot and how it combined a few different genres along with the undercurrent of heavier themes, such as homophobia and racism. The first few pages jumped right into the plot and had me invested right away.
So why the three stars? I couldn’t connect with the writing style. There were times that I had to reread certain paragraphs because they got a bit wordy, which in turn took me out of the story. I was really frustrated that I couldn’t get immersed in it because the plot itself, from a surface level, was really good. I had a similar issue with the characters. I felt for what they were going through, but I couldn’t FEEL it, if that makes sense.
I do think this is one to check out, and it may work better for other readers than it did for me. This is the author’s debut novel, so I would definitely still be interested in reading any future novels.
May 26, 2026
Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Scott Sigler’s Infected with a hearty dose of In the Heat of the Night. How great to see a big publisher take on a young writer’s first novel with a gay, black, neurodiverse main character that blends sci-fi and horror, and the civil rights era. I’m surprised this is being released in November, it would have made a great summer read. One of the streamers needs to option the book ASAP as it would make a great limited series.
Thanks to NetGalley and thee publisher for an early look.
Thanks to NetGalley and thee publisher for an early look.
Review of advance copy
Let it be known that I am the first person to review this book on good reads, and also among the first people to read this book. Kennedy I love you and Samuel and Harvey! Me and Samuel have the same nervous tick and therefore we’re twinsies.
Now being for real. This is one of THE BEST scifi and horror novels I’ve ever read! Kennedy is a master of balancing a tense, high-stakes atmosphere with beautiful and fully realized character moments. I cannot express how genuinely fantastic this book is!!! I CANNOT WAIT for it to hit the shelves!
Now being for real. This is one of THE BEST scifi and horror novels I’ve ever read! Kennedy is a master of balancing a tense, high-stakes atmosphere with beautiful and fully realized character moments. I cannot express how genuinely fantastic this book is!!! I CANNOT WAIT for it to hit the shelves!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Us Aardvarkians love when a book shifts genre midway through—establishing a legible set of genre expectations and then yanking the blanket out from under us, leaving us stranded in a wholly new genre altogether. With There Used to be People Here, we’ve got a murder mystery slash buddy-cop police procedural turned paranormal sci-fi conspiracy cosmic horror with a twist reminiscent of Lost (even down to the mysterious and possibly supernatural plane crash).
To begin: it’s 1970s Mississippi, and Samuel and his interim partner have been assigned to a case that defies all logic. From the strange, pearl-like eggs found nestled inside the murder victims’ bodies to a whole host of inexplicable phenomena, it’s clear this one isn’t going to be clear cut. The novel goes on to examine the way criminal justice and policing intersect with anti-Blackness and anti-queerness. Through Samuel’s perspective as Wenton’s only Black detective, we’re offered a speculative critique of these systems that worship conventionality—and demonize anything other than.
To begin: it’s 1970s Mississippi, and Samuel and his interim partner have been assigned to a case that defies all logic. From the strange, pearl-like eggs found nestled inside the murder victims’ bodies to a whole host of inexplicable phenomena, it’s clear this one isn’t going to be clear cut. The novel goes on to examine the way criminal justice and policing intersect with anti-Blackness and anti-queerness. Through Samuel’s perspective as Wenton’s only Black detective, we’re offered a speculative critique of these systems that worship conventionality—and demonize anything other than.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I’m going to vague here because there’s so much story for you to uncover, but Kennedy Cole’s debut queer-sci-fi procedural crime noir (wow that was a mouthful) is a highlight for me for 2026. I normally steer away from procedurals, but this book is the perfect cocktail of The X-Files meets S.A. Cosby! Taking place in rural South America during the 1980s, not only is our protagonist detective Samuel dealing with trying to figure out the case, but visible homophobia and racism are running rampant. Cole’s genre-blend of storytelling is a massive undertaking yet she expertly crafted the amazing start to what I believe to be a very popular series!
September 17, 2026
3 stars Thank you to BookBrowse and NetGalley for the download in exchange for an unbiased review. Expected publication November 3, 2026 by Berkley.
I guess I did not realize that this was a sci-fi when I got it. I do read sci-fi and enjoy most of what I choose, however I had some problems with this book. The premise was ok but I had some problems with the execution. I can't quite put my finger on it, but every so often the writing in the book seemed displaced, like maybe the author had been away from the story for too long and was trying to connect again to the story? That is the best I can describe it - just a blip in the story.
I also thought that it was too long. The third quarter of the story could have been sized down to one chapter and most of it eliminated. By that time we understood the dilemma of racism, knew how the 'pearls' worked and could foresee the connection between the detectives. I began to think 'will this ever end?'
Proverbial space ship story, but the aliens were a bit unique. Set primarily in a police department in the 1970's Mississippi south and lead by a Black detective - Samuel, the only Black detective in the area. So will the mysterious 'pearls' be solved or will they wipe out mankind? Will Samuel live to solve the mystery?
A space ship landing, aliens, and a strange Black police detective - combine to tell the tale.
I guess I did not realize that this was a sci-fi when I got it. I do read sci-fi and enjoy most of what I choose, however I had some problems with this book. The premise was ok but I had some problems with the execution. I can't quite put my finger on it, but every so often the writing in the book seemed displaced, like maybe the author had been away from the story for too long and was trying to connect again to the story? That is the best I can describe it - just a blip in the story.
I also thought that it was too long. The third quarter of the story could have been sized down to one chapter and most of it eliminated. By that time we understood the dilemma of racism, knew how the 'pearls' worked and could foresee the connection between the detectives. I began to think 'will this ever end?'
Proverbial space ship story, but the aliens were a bit unique. Set primarily in a police department in the 1970's Mississippi south and lead by a Black detective - Samuel, the only Black detective in the area. So will the mysterious 'pearls' be solved or will they wipe out mankind? Will Samuel live to solve the mystery?
A space ship landing, aliens, and a strange Black police detective - combine to tell the tale.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
A stunner of a debut, There Used to Be People Here takes a classic sci-fi story and broadens it with a harrowing tale of racism and homophobia in the 1970s. And a surprising vein of hope.
To be clear, anyone who is a sci-fi buff will recognize the premise instantly. This is not a bad thing, as while the overarching storyline is simply Invasion of the Body Snatchers (or, for us 90s teens, The Faculty), the real story is Samuel’s emotional and personal journey. The surrounding plotline is simply the vehicle for the core of the book.
The story is serious, unrelentingly bleak for most of it, and anger-inducing. My heart breaks at how real people suffered through the racist bullshit like Sam did, and how this kind of stuff still happens in the world. It’s why I think it’s important to read books by and featuring people not of our own backgrounds- it teaches and reinforces empathy.
Anyway, you will feel for Sam. He just wants to do his job and, hopefully, get promoted, but while his boss isn’t blocking him, there are many on his police force who openly or more quietly make him feel lesser and not welcome. So much so that Sam pushes everyone but his sister away, including his new temporary partner, Harvey. He suppresses everything about himself; his personality, his anger, his joy. The only people he is close with are his sister and their dog, Louise.
For those of you who won’t read a horror with a dog in it. No, the dog does not die. Louise is good.
Like Sam, we soon realize that Harvey, the partner he professes to find annoying, is actually a decent dude (and a total cutie. I loved Harvey).
The book never forgets its overarching plot, but there are pockets around it that deal heavily with Sam and his struggles. In fact, both plots peak around the same time. I think some readers might find the book slow, but I couldn’t put it down. While there isn’t a lot of scary in this book (I’d hesitate to call it a horror; it’s more a sci-fi thriller historical fiction), the tone is claustrophobic and intense. Even in moments of lightness, there’s still this pallor of feeling trapped, or that something is coming around the corner.
Speaking of lighter moments, there is a major ship in this book, but I’ll talk about it in the spoilers below.
The story is fantastic for a debut, though it does have a few minor things that I noticed needed a boost. The sci-fi storyline is nothing new. As I said, though, it’s just the vehicle for everything else, so I didn’t care. The main thing is that the point of view isn’t consistent. It focuses on Sam but sometimes jumps to a semi-omniscient point of view or leaps into Harvey for a few sentences (but only to give us another angle on Sam). This always took an adjustment on my end, which was a bit jarring. A minor thing, though, and maybe it’ll be adjusted for the final copy (as I read an ARC).
Overall, I thought it was fantastic.
Spoilers:
A stunner of a debut, There Used to Be People Here takes a classic sci-fi story and broadens it with a harrowing tale of racism and homophobia in the 1970s. And a surprising vein of hope.
To be clear, anyone who is a sci-fi buff will recognize the premise instantly. This is not a bad thing, as while the overarching storyline is simply Invasion of the Body Snatchers (or, for us 90s teens, The Faculty), the real story is Samuel’s emotional and personal journey. The surrounding plotline is simply the vehicle for the core of the book.
The story is serious, unrelentingly bleak for most of it, and anger-inducing. My heart breaks at how real people suffered through the racist bullshit like Sam did, and how this kind of stuff still happens in the world. It’s why I think it’s important to read books by and featuring people not of our own backgrounds- it teaches and reinforces empathy.
Anyway, you will feel for Sam. He just wants to do his job and, hopefully, get promoted, but while his boss isn’t blocking him, there are many on his police force who openly or more quietly make him feel lesser and not welcome. So much so that Sam pushes everyone but his sister away, including his new temporary partner, Harvey. He suppresses everything about himself; his personality, his anger, his joy. The only people he is close with are his sister and their dog, Louise.
For those of you who won’t read a horror with a dog in it. No, the dog does not die. Louise is good.
Like Sam, we soon realize that Harvey, the partner he professes to find annoying, is actually a decent dude (and a total cutie. I loved Harvey).
The book never forgets its overarching plot, but there are pockets around it that deal heavily with Sam and his struggles. In fact, both plots peak around the same time. I think some readers might find the book slow, but I couldn’t put it down. While there isn’t a lot of scary in this book (I’d hesitate to call it a horror; it’s more a sci-fi thriller historical fiction), the tone is claustrophobic and intense. Even in moments of lightness, there’s still this pallor of feeling trapped, or that something is coming around the corner.
Speaking of lighter moments, there is a major ship in this book, but I’ll talk about it in the spoilers below.
The story is fantastic for a debut, though it does have a few minor things that I noticed needed a boost. The sci-fi storyline is nothing new. As I said, though, it’s just the vehicle for everything else, so I didn’t care. The main thing is that the point of view isn’t consistent. It focuses on Sam but sometimes jumps to a semi-omniscient point of view or leaps into Harvey for a few sentences (but only to give us another angle on Sam). This always took an adjustment on my end, which was a bit jarring. A minor thing, though, and maybe it’ll be adjusted for the final copy (as I read an ARC).
Overall, I thought it was fantastic.
Spoilers:
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Author Kennedy Cole's debut novel, There Used To Be People Here, is a smorgasbord of genres . . . sci-fi, light horror, procedural crime, mystery and historical fiction all rolled into a unique story set in Wenton, Mississippi during the 1970's. Samuel Barkley is a gay, black detective attempting to climb the corporate ladder in a small, racist, homophobic town. He finds himself investigating the odd murder of a man in the bathroom of a gay bar. Joined by his new partner, Harvey, Samuel is repulsed by the gory scene before him. As the pair dive deeper into the case, it becomes clear that strange occurrences are happening in this small southern town and all is not as it seems. When Samuel and Harvey check out a nearby so-called plane crash, they find the FBI standing guard. Why are they guarding a "plane crash"? The truth will shatter the people of Wenton and turn Samuel's investigation upside down. Suddenly, a murder case turns into a fight for survival.
There are so many things going on in There Used To Be People Here. Some I expected, most I did not. Sci-Fi and/or Horror are not my go-to genres; however, Cole's haunting, descriptive prose pulled me into the story, and I found myself enjoying the journey despite myself. While the gore is a bit over-the-top for me, the characterizations and relationship development are outstanding as is the portrayal of life for blacks fighting for civil rights during the 70's in the south. As I settled into the story, the historical elements and Samuel's personal and professional journey kept me turning pages through several surprising twists. From start to finish, Cole does an amazing job of building tension and setting a dire tone in this Southern Noir procedural. As I mentioned above, I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi and/or Horror, but There Used To Be People Here defies those classifications and is so much more! Recommended for fans of sci-fi, horror, mystery, historical, and crime procedurals.
Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed are my own. This title is scheduled for release on Nov. 3, 2026. My review is available on my blog, Cross My Heart Reviews.
There are so many things going on in There Used To Be People Here. Some I expected, most I did not. Sci-Fi and/or Horror are not my go-to genres; however, Cole's haunting, descriptive prose pulled me into the story, and I found myself enjoying the journey despite myself. While the gore is a bit over-the-top for me, the characterizations and relationship development are outstanding as is the portrayal of life for blacks fighting for civil rights during the 70's in the south. As I settled into the story, the historical elements and Samuel's personal and professional journey kept me turning pages through several surprising twists. From start to finish, Cole does an amazing job of building tension and setting a dire tone in this Southern Noir procedural. As I mentioned above, I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi and/or Horror, but There Used To Be People Here defies those classifications and is so much more! Recommended for fans of sci-fi, horror, mystery, historical, and crime procedurals.
Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed are my own. This title is scheduled for release on Nov. 3, 2026. My review is available on my blog, Cross My Heart Reviews.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 debut stars
In this debut novel from Kennedy Cole, two detectives find themselves on a very strange murder case. As Samuel, the only Black detective in Wenton, Mississippi, works with his partner Harvey on the case, things get more and more curious. And no one can explain what the worms are in the murdered victim’s mouth. Could this have anything to do with the nearby plane crash?
Harvey and Samuel decide they need to investigate the crash site. They discover the FBI standing guard and are even more suspicious. Samuel struggles to feel accepted in town and by some of the old-guard police officers.
Strange things are happening in Wenton, and more mysterious murders take place. What has hit the town? Can the FBI put a stop to it? As the FBI takes over the case, can Samuel and Harvey leave it behind?
I liked Samuel’s relationship with his sister and I rooted for them. Harvey grew on me as we learned more about him. I don’t read much sci-fi, but this felt like an appropriate read for the spooky month of October. Hold on for a wild, out-of-this-world ride with this one, with some surprising twists!
My thanks to Berkley and BookBrowse for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. Scheduled to release on 11.3.2026.
In this debut novel from Kennedy Cole, two detectives find themselves on a very strange murder case. As Samuel, the only Black detective in Wenton, Mississippi, works with his partner Harvey on the case, things get more and more curious. And no one can explain what the worms are in the murdered victim’s mouth. Could this have anything to do with the nearby plane crash?
Harvey and Samuel decide they need to investigate the crash site. They discover the FBI standing guard and are even more suspicious. Samuel struggles to feel accepted in town and by some of the old-guard police officers.
Strange things are happening in Wenton, and more mysterious murders take place. What has hit the town? Can the FBI put a stop to it? As the FBI takes over the case, can Samuel and Harvey leave it behind?
I liked Samuel’s relationship with his sister and I rooted for them. Harvey grew on me as we learned more about him. I don’t read much sci-fi, but this felt like an appropriate read for the spooky month of October. Hold on for a wild, out-of-this-world ride with this one, with some surprising twists!
My thanks to Berkley and BookBrowse for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. Scheduled to release on 11.3.2026.
August 2, 2026
(Review of an ARC)
Certainly a striking debut!!!
Samuel was a great main character. Quiet, brave, and unapologetically himself, despite facing severe racism and lack of opportunity as a Black police officer in 1970s Mississippi.
The eeriness of each scene was unsettling. Kennedy Cole crafts every sentence so well. Either I was disturbed by what Samuel and Harvey were uncovering, or felt defeated right along with them for every setback.
The last chunk of the book is the best: urgent and heartbreaking and will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Can’t wait to read more by this author!
Certainly a striking debut!!!
Samuel was a great main character. Quiet, brave, and unapologetically himself, despite facing severe racism and lack of opportunity as a Black police officer in 1970s Mississippi.
The eeriness of each scene was unsettling. Kennedy Cole crafts every sentence so well. Either I was disturbed by what Samuel and Harvey were uncovering, or felt defeated right along with them for every setback.
The last chunk of the book is the best: urgent and heartbreaking and will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Can’t wait to read more by this author!
November 9, 2026
Thank you so much to @BerkleyPublishing #BerkleyPartner for the free book!
Thank you so much to @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner for the complimentary ALC!
I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover and the title. I also don't really read much during the 70s time period so that was a bonus.
"I was one of the first to get there. Saw it all. I got my five minutes. And that wasn't no plane crash."
I love the start of the book because unlike other mysteries we knew who the victim one and who the killer was all in the first sentence. And then the rest of the book is watching the detectives figure out who and the why. Samuel is the city's only black detective and he is paired with a temporary partner Harvey to take on this case. Samuel's character was developed so well. He is a paternal figure to his younger sister after losing their parents, dealing with horrible coworkers (racial driven) and just trying to survive his job which he so badly wants to be promoted in.
I really love the premise of the book and how these two are in charge of taking the case that the crime scene is at a gay bar. Both Samuel and Harvey are coming to terms with their sexuality. I really love the partnership between Samuel and Harvey. They worked so well together and more importantly trusted each other. Samuel never really had a friend and found a kinship in Harvey. There was a moment when Harvey confessed something to Samuel and they danced around the lines because why would two young men in the 70s come out to one another in an "easy" way? When things went sideways and they both were taken off the case, they decided to still continue to work together.
There were parts that I felt that dragged a little bit and felt myself drifting elsewhere. But I would the be brought back into the story because something would happen.
I started reading this one with my eyes before I switch to an immerse read with the audio. Christopher Ian Grant is the narrator and I really enjoyed this voice. He appears to be a newer narrator and I thought he had this low timbre tone in his voice that really went with the characters. I look forward to hearing more from him!
This is the author's debut and I thought it was such a strong start for her career! I recommend this if you are into supernatural, murder/true crime, gay awakenings and more!
Bonus: I love when the book mentions the title within it and we got it in this!
Thank you so much to @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner for the complimentary ALC!
I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover and the title. I also don't really read much during the 70s time period so that was a bonus.
"I was one of the first to get there. Saw it all. I got my five minutes. And that wasn't no plane crash."
I love the start of the book because unlike other mysteries we knew who the victim one and who the killer was all in the first sentence. And then the rest of the book is watching the detectives figure out who and the why. Samuel is the city's only black detective and he is paired with a temporary partner Harvey to take on this case. Samuel's character was developed so well. He is a paternal figure to his younger sister after losing their parents, dealing with horrible coworkers (racial driven) and just trying to survive his job which he so badly wants to be promoted in.
I really love the premise of the book and how these two are in charge of taking the case that the crime scene is at a gay bar. Both Samuel and Harvey are coming to terms with their sexuality. I really love the partnership between Samuel and Harvey. They worked so well together and more importantly trusted each other. Samuel never really had a friend and found a kinship in Harvey. There was a moment when Harvey confessed something to Samuel and they danced around the lines because why would two young men in the 70s come out to one another in an "easy" way? When things went sideways and they both were taken off the case, they decided to still continue to work together.
There were parts that I felt that dragged a little bit and felt myself drifting elsewhere. But I would the be brought back into the story because something would happen.
I started reading this one with my eyes before I switch to an immerse read with the audio. Christopher Ian Grant is the narrator and I really enjoyed this voice. He appears to be a newer narrator and I thought he had this low timbre tone in his voice that really went with the characters. I look forward to hearing more from him!
This is the author's debut and I thought it was such a strong start for her career! I recommend this if you are into supernatural, murder/true crime, gay awakenings and more!
Bonus: I love when the book mentions the title within it and we got it in this!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Feeling: so gross 😝
I’m curious about: The infestation described in the opening scene. Great element!
"The roads glowed with a centipede trail of streetlights, and yet somehow, the crescent moon seemed to outshine every single lamp. Its crooked face beamed down on Samuel in the form of a tilted smile. When he looked up to spot the shape in the black, Samuel couldn’t help but stare at the soft white curve, bent like a sanded-down whale’s tooth. The moon followed the Pontiac GTO as it raced across Wenton, Mississippi, and arrived in the slanted driveway of Harvey Wilkins." p127
Final thoughts: I wish I liked this more. I found the plot to be weighed down and occasionally buried by other elements such as theme and character development. The elements just are not balanced here. In the end, I found that the plot had travelled so far from where it started, but without the necessary progress markers, so it was hard to understand the ending. The prose is very heavy and I found it to be dull in places, despite its lyricism. In general, this one is okay.
What worked:
🎨 The descriptive writing is astonishing-- beautiful and bleak and a little surreal.
What didn’t:
🐛 The scifi element, which contains the book's plot, was my favorite part. Gory, undignified, absolutely disgusting lol! Unfortunately, I thought it was too irregular. Other elements overwhelmed the plot to the point I sometimes just forgot what a scene was supposed to be doing there.
Who this is for: Scifi readers, historical horror readers
Rating: ⭐⭐.5
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the arc!📚
Content Notes:
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.
.
.
.
.
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insects, bees, gore, forced eating, anti-queer language and violence, bureaucracy, racism, racial violence, systemic racism
I’m curious about: The infestation described in the opening scene. Great element!
"The roads glowed with a centipede trail of streetlights, and yet somehow, the crescent moon seemed to outshine every single lamp. Its crooked face beamed down on Samuel in the form of a tilted smile. When he looked up to spot the shape in the black, Samuel couldn’t help but stare at the soft white curve, bent like a sanded-down whale’s tooth. The moon followed the Pontiac GTO as it raced across Wenton, Mississippi, and arrived in the slanted driveway of Harvey Wilkins." p127
Final thoughts: I wish I liked this more. I found the plot to be weighed down and occasionally buried by other elements such as theme and character development. The elements just are not balanced here. In the end, I found that the plot had travelled so far from where it started, but without the necessary progress markers, so it was hard to understand the ending. The prose is very heavy and I found it to be dull in places, despite its lyricism. In general, this one is okay.
What worked:
🎨 The descriptive writing is astonishing-- beautiful and bleak and a little surreal.
What didn’t:
🐛 The scifi element, which contains the book's plot, was my favorite part. Gory, undignified, absolutely disgusting lol! Unfortunately, I thought it was too irregular. Other elements overwhelmed the plot to the point I sometimes just forgot what a scene was supposed to be doing there.
Who this is for: Scifi readers, historical horror readers
Rating: ⭐⭐.5
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the arc!📚
Content Notes:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
insects, bees, gore, forced eating, anti-queer language and violence, bureaucracy, racism, racial violence, systemic racism
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Exciting sci-fi horror thriller that’s fun, scary and great to add to your Halloween reading list!
It’s the 1970s and strange things are going down in Wenton, Mississippi. Samuel Barkley is Wenton’s only Black detective when he’s assigned to an investigate the death of a man in a gay bar’s bathroom. As he investigates he learns of a plane crash, but finds it’s no plane. As things go on it’s clear things are not normal in Wenton. In too if this is the Southern story of racism.
From the first sentence you are caught up in a strangeness. Then before that chapter is done, you’ve read some of the best horror writing (albeit it gory). In fact this is one of the few books I’d say meets really well written horror. Trigger warning: body horror and gore aplenty. But in the character of Samuel you meet a really cool, likable character. His story is every black man’s story in the South, especially the ‘70s South, but he has such a dignity.
I really don’t want to give way the story - it’s best to enjoy by reading it yourself! But if you’ve seen any of the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers’s movies, you will understand the plot. While I’ve seen these movies, I did think the author may have relied too heavily on that plot but that doesn’t take away from how good the book is.
This is book for lovers of sci-fi horror or anyone who likes a good horror story read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for granting me access to this ARC.
It’s the 1970s and strange things are going down in Wenton, Mississippi. Samuel Barkley is Wenton’s only Black detective when he’s assigned to an investigate the death of a man in a gay bar’s bathroom. As he investigates he learns of a plane crash, but finds it’s no plane. As things go on it’s clear things are not normal in Wenton. In too if this is the Southern story of racism.
From the first sentence you are caught up in a strangeness. Then before that chapter is done, you’ve read some of the best horror writing (albeit it gory). In fact this is one of the few books I’d say meets really well written horror. Trigger warning: body horror and gore aplenty. But in the character of Samuel you meet a really cool, likable character. His story is every black man’s story in the South, especially the ‘70s South, but he has such a dignity.
I really don’t want to give way the story - it’s best to enjoy by reading it yourself! But if you’ve seen any of the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers’s movies, you will understand the plot. While I’ve seen these movies, I did think the author may have relied too heavily on that plot but that doesn’t take away from how good the book is.
This is book for lovers of sci-fi horror or anyone who likes a good horror story read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for granting me access to this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for giving me an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This one of the most unique, gripping stories I’ve read in a long time. Sci-fi is not usually my cup of tea, but this book was a stunning debut.
We follow Samuel and Harvey, two police officers who become unlikely partners as they solve an invasion of the body snatchers-esque horror plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. On top of it all, they’re facing period typical 1970’s southern racism and homophobia at every turn. These themes are tackled with nuance, and land with realism in a story that is otherwise out of this world with its descriptions of the science behind everything.
If you’re looking for a story with depth, beautiful prose, characters you’ll find yourself easily endeared towards, and incredibly detailed sci-fi, this one is for you.
This one of the most unique, gripping stories I’ve read in a long time. Sci-fi is not usually my cup of tea, but this book was a stunning debut.
We follow Samuel and Harvey, two police officers who become unlikely partners as they solve an invasion of the body snatchers-esque horror plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. On top of it all, they’re facing period typical 1970’s southern racism and homophobia at every turn. These themes are tackled with nuance, and land with realism in a story that is otherwise out of this world with its descriptions of the science behind everything.
If you’re looking for a story with depth, beautiful prose, characters you’ll find yourself easily endeared towards, and incredibly detailed sci-fi, this one is for you.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What I like about this book is it doesn’t hide that it’s about aliens — no, that’s not a spoiler, the very first scene in the prologue involves body snatching. It’s dark, it’s bleak, it’s tense, and it’s disturbing. But the disturbing part isn’t just the aliens or the gore, it’s the depiction of humans and what they’ll do to each other. We see this in how the White police officers treat Samuel, the only Black detective, as if he’s beneath them. We see this in the socially enforced segregation of the town, and how aligning himself with the police ostracizes Samuel from his community. We see this in Harvey’s fears about being associated with the gay bar. And we see this in how stark the explicit violence of humans is compared to the implicit violence of the Taur.
Speaking of, the way that Samuel has a crisis when faced with the realities of what the Taur could do — most strikingly, make it so he, a Black man in the South in 1970, is treated like any average man… that was powerful. I found myself thinking that I wouldn’t have blamed him if he let himself be convinced to let what was happening happen. But at the same time, the book showed the sacrifice this would take, as he was physically losing his colour on the arm where the Taur touched him and Harvey had completely walked away after this choice.
Now, for a negative, while it was perpetually clear this was about aliens, there was shockingly little alien-feel in the first little while. Instead, it felt like a police-centred crime thriller. For me, this came across like a bait and switch until the aliens came back in and it became horror again, which is unfortunate because it affected my desire to keep reading (I’m not a thriller guy, as y’all know by now).
What I like about this book is it doesn’t hide that it’s about aliens — no, that’s not a spoiler, the very first scene in the prologue involves body snatching. It’s dark, it’s bleak, it’s tense, and it’s disturbing. But the disturbing part isn’t just the aliens or the gore, it’s the depiction of humans and what they’ll do to each other. We see this in how the White police officers treat Samuel, the only Black detective, as if he’s beneath them. We see this in the socially enforced segregation of the town, and how aligning himself with the police ostracizes Samuel from his community. We see this in Harvey’s fears about being associated with the gay bar. And we see this in how stark the explicit violence of humans is compared to the implicit violence of the Taur.
Speaking of, the way that Samuel has a crisis when faced with the realities of what the Taur could do — most strikingly, make it so he, a Black man in the South in 1970, is treated like any average man… that was powerful. I found myself thinking that I wouldn’t have blamed him if he let himself be convinced to let what was happening happen. But at the same time, the book showed the sacrifice this would take, as he was physically losing his colour on the arm where the Taur touched him and Harvey had completely walked away after this choice.
Now, for a negative, while it was perpetually clear this was about aliens, there was shockingly little alien-feel in the first little while. Instead, it felt like a police-centred crime thriller. For me, this came across like a bait and switch until the aliens came back in and it became horror again, which is unfortunate because it affected my desire to keep reading (I’m not a thriller guy, as y’all know by now).
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
WOW! This book took my breath away in all the best ways! The stellar writing, the brilliant character development, and the eerie horror elements all worked together to create an unforgettable book for me. Samuel and Harvey were absolutely incredible characters, and I adored the way their relationship developed throughout the course of events. Both characters felt so real, and I connected so much with their emotional journeys. The author expertly blended fictional horror with the real impacts of homophobia and racism. The best word I can think to describe the horror elements in this book is unsettling, and that’s my favorite kind of chilling. The descriptions at times were genuinely grotesque, but it all lended itself to the atmosphere of the book and made me satisfyingly apprehensive while reading. Samuel and Harvey are the beating heart of this book, and you care so deeply about them. There is so much I want to say, but I really don’t want to spoil anything, and so I will simply say that this an incredible debut and one I will be recommending to anyone who will listen! I cannot wait to see what Kennedy Cole writes next.
WOW! This book took my breath away in all the best ways! The stellar writing, the brilliant character development, and the eerie horror elements all worked together to create an unforgettable book for me. Samuel and Harvey were absolutely incredible characters, and I adored the way their relationship developed throughout the course of events. Both characters felt so real, and I connected so much with their emotional journeys. The author expertly blended fictional horror with the real impacts of homophobia and racism. The best word I can think to describe the horror elements in this book is unsettling, and that’s my favorite kind of chilling. The descriptions at times were genuinely grotesque, but it all lended itself to the atmosphere of the book and made me satisfyingly apprehensive while reading. Samuel and Harvey are the beating heart of this book, and you care so deeply about them. There is so much I want to say, but I really don’t want to spoil anything, and so I will simply say that this an incredible debut and one I will be recommending to anyone who will listen! I cannot wait to see what Kennedy Cole writes next.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I do not usually read books from the detective or horror genre, but this book might make me start. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, totally invested. I love the descriptive language used in the book, and the concept was fascinating. I cannot wait to see this book hit the shelves in the library, and to be able to recommend this to patrons.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
kennedy cole's there used to be people here is the black-led, queer, historical, x-files adjacent novel i didn't know i needed. with her sharp prose, beautiful characters, and harrowing story, cole is one of the most exciting debut authors to watch right now, and i can't wait to see where she leads us next. i absolutely loved this!
November 4, 2026
A Joyfully Jay review.
3 stars
This science fiction horror deals with an alien invasion that seeks to turn its victims into a harmonious and unified society. Set in the late 1970s, it also deals heavily with racism, isolation, and (what I believe to be) a neurodivergent main character. The first chapter can be somewhat uncomfortable for people squeamish about insects, but the insect elements are much toned down in the rest of the book.
This book is fine. There are parts of it that are very well done — Samuel reacting to and dealing with the racism of his fellow police officers, and even the black bartender at the club his sister works at — but so much of it is a bit of a mess. The overall tone of the book reads more like literary fiction than science fiction or horror, which suits the more grounded part of Samuel’s story, but all of the other elements, the horror, the aliens, the FBI agents, are treated with a flat disinterest. There is no reaction to any of these unusual happenings by Samuel, or even Harvey. The book lays these elements out as if I’m supposed to be shocked, but the characters don’t seem bothered to care at all.
The ending is heavy handed and, for me, is the worst part of the book. The author tried to build up something interesting with how the FBI was handling things, with how their goals conflicted with Samuel, but didn’t seem to know what to do with that and so just … dropped it. It’s a happy ending in a story that didn’t earn it; it’s too many lose threads ignored and hidden away.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
3 stars
This science fiction horror deals with an alien invasion that seeks to turn its victims into a harmonious and unified society. Set in the late 1970s, it also deals heavily with racism, isolation, and (what I believe to be) a neurodivergent main character. The first chapter can be somewhat uncomfortable for people squeamish about insects, but the insect elements are much toned down in the rest of the book.
This book is fine. There are parts of it that are very well done — Samuel reacting to and dealing with the racism of his fellow police officers, and even the black bartender at the club his sister works at — but so much of it is a bit of a mess. The overall tone of the book reads more like literary fiction than science fiction or horror, which suits the more grounded part of Samuel’s story, but all of the other elements, the horror, the aliens, the FBI agents, are treated with a flat disinterest. There is no reaction to any of these unusual happenings by Samuel, or even Harvey. The book lays these elements out as if I’m supposed to be shocked, but the characters don’t seem bothered to care at all.
The ending is heavy handed and, for me, is the worst part of the book. The author tried to build up something interesting with how the FBI was handling things, with how their goals conflicted with Samuel, but didn’t seem to know what to do with that and so just … dropped it. It’s a happy ending in a story that didn’t earn it; it’s too many lose threads ignored and hidden away.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
November 3, 2026
I wanted to come on here and say i didn’t cry three times, but that would be a lie.
Wenton, mississippi is the setting for our story featuring Samuel Barkley, WPD's only black detective. Mysterious circumstances surround the unfathomable murder of a man found in the bathroom of the town’s “boy bar,” Larson’s Alley. When no one can explain why the victim was both gutted and facing the wall inside of the stall, Samuel is partnered with a detective whom he has only ever crossed once before during a robbery case years prior. While being alone is samuel’s M.O., he is smitten by his colleague, Harvey Wilkins, who soon becomes a comfort in this investigation. What they did not anticipate were the bizarre events and many more untraceable deaths that followed.
This book was incredible. Kennedy is an insanely talented writer who has restored my passion for detective novels (see: what’s the book wednesday pt.1). Black writers have a way of writing detectives in a way that brings humility into a hardened profession. There is no part of samuel that begs to be explored. We are right there in his mind the entire novel. We see what he sees. We feel what he feels.
There are so many layers to this story from the buddy cop duo to the blatant racism to the rampant homophobia. Although the events in 1970s Wenton were fictitious, these are not unfamiliar events in the United States today. It is rather sad to admit, but that is why in spite of the horrors, be it crooked policies or murderous larvae, we persist.
I rooted so hard for samuel the whole way. As someone who is constantly burdened with the responsibility to be present despite what is going on in his life, I wanted him to win so badly. This man just couldn't catch a break.
Even with so much happening, I never felt lost, confused, or looking for more. Everything was well thought out, well written, and tied together beautifully at the end. There were so many moments that really snuck up on me and brought me to tears. I’d read them a million times over just to experience this novel again.
In short, girl, you did that!
Wenton, mississippi is the setting for our story featuring Samuel Barkley, WPD's only black detective. Mysterious circumstances surround the unfathomable murder of a man found in the bathroom of the town’s “boy bar,” Larson’s Alley. When no one can explain why the victim was both gutted and facing the wall inside of the stall, Samuel is partnered with a detective whom he has only ever crossed once before during a robbery case years prior. While being alone is samuel’s M.O., he is smitten by his colleague, Harvey Wilkins, who soon becomes a comfort in this investigation. What they did not anticipate were the bizarre events and many more untraceable deaths that followed.
This book was incredible. Kennedy is an insanely talented writer who has restored my passion for detective novels (see: what’s the book wednesday pt.1). Black writers have a way of writing detectives in a way that brings humility into a hardened profession. There is no part of samuel that begs to be explored. We are right there in his mind the entire novel. We see what he sees. We feel what he feels.
There are so many layers to this story from the buddy cop duo to the blatant racism to the rampant homophobia. Although the events in 1970s Wenton were fictitious, these are not unfamiliar events in the United States today. It is rather sad to admit, but that is why in spite of the horrors, be it crooked policies or murderous larvae, we persist.
I rooted so hard for samuel the whole way. As someone who is constantly burdened with the responsibility to be present despite what is going on in his life, I wanted him to win so badly. This man just couldn't catch a break.
Even with so much happening, I never felt lost, confused, or looking for more. Everything was well thought out, well written, and tied together beautifully at the end. There were so many moments that really snuck up on me and brought me to tears. I’d read them a million times over just to experience this novel again.
In short, girl, you did that!
November 4, 2026
Thank you to Berkley for providing me with a digital ARC!
The combination of a murder mystery, LGBTQ+ representation, and sci-fi elements immediately caught my attention. This was a little outside my usual reading comfort zone, but it kept me entertained and intrigued as I tried to figure out how everything would unfold.
I enjoyed seeing these different elements come together, and my curiosity kept me turning the pages. I also really liked the author’s writing style, which made exploring something different all the more enjoyable.
Overall, a really good read that left me interested in picking up more from this author!
The combination of a murder mystery, LGBTQ+ representation, and sci-fi elements immediately caught my attention. This was a little outside my usual reading comfort zone, but it kept me entertained and intrigued as I tried to figure out how everything would unfold.
I enjoyed seeing these different elements come together, and my curiosity kept me turning the pages. I also really liked the author’s writing style, which made exploring something different all the more enjoyable.
Overall, a really good read that left me interested in picking up more from this author!
Want to Read
October 14, 2026Let it be known that I am the first person to review this book on Goodreads, and also among the first people to read this book. Kennedy, I love you and Samuel and Harvey! Me and Samuel have the same nervous tick and therefore we’re twinsies.
Now being for real. This is one of THE BEST scifi and horror novels I’ve ever read! Kennedy is a master of balancing a tense, high-stakes atmosphere with beautiful and fully realized character moments. I cannot express how genuinely fantastic this book is!!! I CANNOT WAIT for it to hit the shelves!
Now being for real. This is one of THE BEST scifi and horror novels I’ve ever read! Kennedy is a master of balancing a tense, high-stakes atmosphere with beautiful and fully realized character moments. I cannot express how genuinely fantastic this book is!!! I CANNOT WAIT for it to hit the shelves!
November 3, 2026
A man walks into the bathroom of a gay bar, never walks back out, and is found dead facing the wall, which is already enough information for me to cancel the rest of my evening. But Samuel Barkley has to actually investigate this nightmare, and the truly offensive part is that Wenton, Mississippi, apparently looked at one deeply upsetting bathroom corpse and said, “We can make this significantly worse.”
Samuel is the only Black detective in town, and this man has built his entire life around the very reasonable goal of keeping his head down, doing his job better than everybody else, and giving the racists absolutely nothing they can use against him. Unfortunately, he has the exact personality type that hears “something about this makes no sense” and starts pulling the thread anyway. Which would be stressful enough without every white person in Wenton watching him like he personally invented integration. His badge gets him exactly enough authority to put him in danger and nowhere near enough protection from the people who resent him for having it.
Then somebody drops Harvey into his passenger seat.
Samuel spends an incredible amount of time mentally trying to file Harvey under either PROBLEM or NOT A PROBLEM, and Harvey simply refuses to cooperate with the filing system. Their whole situation has that maddening energy where two people are investigating something deeply unnatural while also quietly investigating each other. Samuel does not hand out trust like Costco samples, Harvey keeps being more decent and more complicated than Samuel would prefer, and somewhere between the suspicious deaths and the increasingly terrible discoveries, I became wildly invested in these two men communicating approximately three percent more than they were emotionally prepared to handle.
Meanwhile, the case has gone from “how did this man die?” to “why is everybody acting weird about this supposed plane crash?” to “the FBI seems awfully interested in making sure nobody asks normal follow-up questions,” and Samuel, buddy, perhaps take the hint. Except obviously he cannot take the hint because then we would not have a book, and also because every new answer somehow arrives carrying six additional reasons to be concerned. The deeper Samuel and Harvey get into Wenton’s secrets, the more this entire town starts feeling like the kind of place where you should never open a locked door, enter the woods, trust a federal employee, investigate an unexplained noise, or frankly use a public restroom ever again.
And the BODY HORROR. Friends. There are bugs. There are things happening to bodies that bodies did not approve through the proper channels. There are images Kennedy Cole put directly into my brain that I would now like removed by a licensed professional. The extraterrestrial situation has very strong “absolutely not, return to sender” energy, and yet some of the most frightening moments still come from ordinary people behaving exactly the way Samuel already knew they could. Apparently aliens were not enough. We also needed racists, homophobes, abusive authority figures, and government secrecy, because Samuel had accidentally gone seventeen consecutive seconds without a new problem.
That is also where There Used to Be People Here got me right in the feelings. Samuel has spent so much of his life making himself smaller because being fully visible in this place can get him hurt. Then along comes this impossible case, and Harvey, and all these people and things demanding that he decide what he is willing to risk to actually live instead of just survive. There is something brutal about watching a man realize that keeping your head down can protect you and still cost you pieces of yourself. That landed. I hated it. Moving on before this margarita becomes emotional-support equipment.
By the time everything starts closing in, I was no longer casually reading. I was supervising. Samuel would make a decision and I would immediately have notes. Harvey would do something and I would be pointing at the page like I had personally warned him. The FBI would appear and suddenly I was a woman in her kitchen at midnight whispering, “Do not trust these people,” to a fictional detective in 1970s Mississippi. And somehow, underneath the conspiracies and the deeply unacceptable biological developments, I still cared most about whether Samuel was finally going to let himself want something without immediately calculating how dangerous wanting it might be.
4.5 stars from me. I came for the impossible murder and the "The X-Files but make everybody’s personal life exponentially more stressful” situation, and I left emotionally attached to Samuel and Harvey while maintaining several formal complaints about what Kennedy Cole made me picture with my own innocent eyes.
Whodunity Award: For Starting With One Dead Man Facing a Bathroom Wall and Somehow Making That the Least Concerning Thing Happening in Mississippi
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC, and for apparently deciding my evening needed a gay-bar murder, government nonsense, extraterrestrial body horror, emotional repression, and two detectives trying to figure each other out while something profoundly disgusting lurks nearby. My margarita and I have been through enough.
Samuel is the only Black detective in town, and this man has built his entire life around the very reasonable goal of keeping his head down, doing his job better than everybody else, and giving the racists absolutely nothing they can use against him. Unfortunately, he has the exact personality type that hears “something about this makes no sense” and starts pulling the thread anyway. Which would be stressful enough without every white person in Wenton watching him like he personally invented integration. His badge gets him exactly enough authority to put him in danger and nowhere near enough protection from the people who resent him for having it.
Then somebody drops Harvey into his passenger seat.
Samuel spends an incredible amount of time mentally trying to file Harvey under either PROBLEM or NOT A PROBLEM, and Harvey simply refuses to cooperate with the filing system. Their whole situation has that maddening energy where two people are investigating something deeply unnatural while also quietly investigating each other. Samuel does not hand out trust like Costco samples, Harvey keeps being more decent and more complicated than Samuel would prefer, and somewhere between the suspicious deaths and the increasingly terrible discoveries, I became wildly invested in these two men communicating approximately three percent more than they were emotionally prepared to handle.
Meanwhile, the case has gone from “how did this man die?” to “why is everybody acting weird about this supposed plane crash?” to “the FBI seems awfully interested in making sure nobody asks normal follow-up questions,” and Samuel, buddy, perhaps take the hint. Except obviously he cannot take the hint because then we would not have a book, and also because every new answer somehow arrives carrying six additional reasons to be concerned. The deeper Samuel and Harvey get into Wenton’s secrets, the more this entire town starts feeling like the kind of place where you should never open a locked door, enter the woods, trust a federal employee, investigate an unexplained noise, or frankly use a public restroom ever again.
And the BODY HORROR. Friends. There are bugs. There are things happening to bodies that bodies did not approve through the proper channels. There are images Kennedy Cole put directly into my brain that I would now like removed by a licensed professional. The extraterrestrial situation has very strong “absolutely not, return to sender” energy, and yet some of the most frightening moments still come from ordinary people behaving exactly the way Samuel already knew they could. Apparently aliens were not enough. We also needed racists, homophobes, abusive authority figures, and government secrecy, because Samuel had accidentally gone seventeen consecutive seconds without a new problem.
That is also where There Used to Be People Here got me right in the feelings. Samuel has spent so much of his life making himself smaller because being fully visible in this place can get him hurt. Then along comes this impossible case, and Harvey, and all these people and things demanding that he decide what he is willing to risk to actually live instead of just survive. There is something brutal about watching a man realize that keeping your head down can protect you and still cost you pieces of yourself. That landed. I hated it. Moving on before this margarita becomes emotional-support equipment.
By the time everything starts closing in, I was no longer casually reading. I was supervising. Samuel would make a decision and I would immediately have notes. Harvey would do something and I would be pointing at the page like I had personally warned him. The FBI would appear and suddenly I was a woman in her kitchen at midnight whispering, “Do not trust these people,” to a fictional detective in 1970s Mississippi. And somehow, underneath the conspiracies and the deeply unacceptable biological developments, I still cared most about whether Samuel was finally going to let himself want something without immediately calculating how dangerous wanting it might be.
4.5 stars from me. I came for the impossible murder and the "The X-Files but make everybody’s personal life exponentially more stressful” situation, and I left emotionally attached to Samuel and Harvey while maintaining several formal complaints about what Kennedy Cole made me picture with my own innocent eyes.
Whodunity Award: For Starting With One Dead Man Facing a Bathroom Wall and Somehow Making That the Least Concerning Thing Happening in Mississippi
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC, and for apparently deciding my evening needed a gay-bar murder, government nonsense, extraterrestrial body horror, emotional repression, and two detectives trying to figure each other out while something profoundly disgusting lurks nearby. My margarita and I have been through enough.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An advance copy was provided to me for free by the publisher.
Genre-bending, gripping, and utterly original, There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole hooked me from the first page. In 1970s Mississippi, the murder investigation of a man at a gay bar thrusts the only Black detective, Samuel, into a paranormal conspiracy that forces him to grapple with his place in his world and his connection to his temporary partner, Harvey.
To say I loved this book is an understatement! Cole effortlessly balances the suspense of the underlying mystery, the horror as the supernatural elements are revealed, and the reflective moments as Samuel is forced to confront who he is in the midst of the worst week of his life. The cinematic storytelling and perfect pacing keep you immersed in the vivid world Cole creates as you hold your breath during every twist. At no point could I anticipate what would happen next, and I loved that this book kept me guessing.
In the midst of this suspenseful tale, there was a recurring message about the cost of shrinking yourself to fit a world that thinks you don't belong. Samuel grapples with his lifelong desire to be a police officer alongside people who believe his unworthy of their presence, his role as a pseudo-parental figure to his younger sister, and his complicated feelings for Harvey. I was left reflecting on all the ways Black people have and continue to break ourselves to fit into systems and opportunities to be accepted, respected, and allowed to exist, and the toll that takes on our sense of self. Cole weaves these intentional, reflective nods throughout Samuel's story, and I loved how they added depth and nuance to an unforgettable story.
✨ If you love stories that blend suspense, reflection, and paranormal thrills, There Used to Be People Here should be at the top of your reading list!
Genre-bending, gripping, and utterly original, There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole hooked me from the first page. In 1970s Mississippi, the murder investigation of a man at a gay bar thrusts the only Black detective, Samuel, into a paranormal conspiracy that forces him to grapple with his place in his world and his connection to his temporary partner, Harvey.
To say I loved this book is an understatement! Cole effortlessly balances the suspense of the underlying mystery, the horror as the supernatural elements are revealed, and the reflective moments as Samuel is forced to confront who he is in the midst of the worst week of his life. The cinematic storytelling and perfect pacing keep you immersed in the vivid world Cole creates as you hold your breath during every twist. At no point could I anticipate what would happen next, and I loved that this book kept me guessing.
In the midst of this suspenseful tale, there was a recurring message about the cost of shrinking yourself to fit a world that thinks you don't belong. Samuel grapples with his lifelong desire to be a police officer alongside people who believe his unworthy of their presence, his role as a pseudo-parental figure to his younger sister, and his complicated feelings for Harvey. I was left reflecting on all the ways Black people have and continue to break ourselves to fit into systems and opportunities to be accepted, respected, and allowed to exist, and the toll that takes on our sense of self. Cole weaves these intentional, reflective nods throughout Samuel's story, and I loved how they added depth and nuance to an unforgettable story.
✨ If you love stories that blend suspense, reflection, and paranormal thrills, There Used to Be People Here should be at the top of your reading list!
October 31, 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A very solid debut! This felt like a mix of Pluribus and X-Files. Set in a small rural Mississippi town in the 1970s, Samuel is the only black detective in the police department and he’s assigned to a strange murder case. The victim was killed at the gay bar at the outskirts of town, where Samuel notices small pearl like orbs around the body’s throat. As Samuel and his assigned partner Harvey work the case, they notice strange behaviors around town and patterns emerge as the dead bodies pile up.
I liked how the themes of otherness vs belonging were explored throughout the novel. Although I enjoyed Cole’s descriptive writing, there were points of the story that lagged. This would have easily been a five star read had the pacing remained consistent and the momentum uninterrupted.
Thank you to Berkley for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
A very solid debut! This felt like a mix of Pluribus and X-Files. Set in a small rural Mississippi town in the 1970s, Samuel is the only black detective in the police department and he’s assigned to a strange murder case. The victim was killed at the gay bar at the outskirts of town, where Samuel notices small pearl like orbs around the body’s throat. As Samuel and his assigned partner Harvey work the case, they notice strange behaviors around town and patterns emerge as the dead bodies pile up.
I liked how the themes of otherness vs belonging were explored throughout the novel. Although I enjoyed Cole’s descriptive writing, there were points of the story that lagged. This would have easily been a five star read had the pacing remained consistent and the momentum uninterrupted.
Thank you to Berkley for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
November 1, 2026
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy.
There Used to be People Here exceeded my expectations, which doesn’t happen very often. This was a deep book with a lot of layers dealing with racism, homophobia, and government corruption in 1970’s Mississippi. I had a lot of feelings reading this but—without spoiling too much—the slow burn romance absolutely floored me and I couldn’t get enough. This book had remnants of a Ryan Coogler film, The X-Files, and a queer Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Honestly, Kennedy Cole has a very bright future ahead of her, her debut novel blew me away and i’m so happy I got the opportunity to read this before official release. This will be a must buy for my physical collection, and among my favourite reads of 2026.
There Used to be People Here exceeded my expectations, which doesn’t happen very often. This was a deep book with a lot of layers dealing with racism, homophobia, and government corruption in 1970’s Mississippi. I had a lot of feelings reading this but—without spoiling too much—the slow burn romance absolutely floored me and I couldn’t get enough. This book had remnants of a Ryan Coogler film, The X-Files, and a queer Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Honestly, Kennedy Cole has a very bright future ahead of her, her debut novel blew me away and i’m so happy I got the opportunity to read this before official release. This will be a must buy for my physical collection, and among my favourite reads of 2026.
November 6, 2026
This one is definitely for the X-Files and S.A. Cosby fans! The paranormal events reminded me a lot of X-Files while Samuel balancing his race and queerness during a high stakes setting felt similar to S.A. Cosby's writing.
The story follows the only Black and gay detective in 1970s Mississippi as he tries to climb the ranks during a series of paranormal activity. Residents begin to die in unusual ways and Samuel is tasked to solve it for a promotion.
There were times where things seemed hazy like a fever dream which made for some plot holes, but overall, the writing was easy to get into and I thought Kennedy Cole did a wonderful job for their debut novel!
Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for my ARC!
The story follows the only Black and gay detective in 1970s Mississippi as he tries to climb the ranks during a series of paranormal activity. Residents begin to die in unusual ways and Samuel is tasked to solve it for a promotion.
There were times where things seemed hazy like a fever dream which made for some plot holes, but overall, the writing was easy to get into and I thought Kennedy Cole did a wonderful job for their debut novel!
Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for my ARC!
November 2, 2026
This was fun, had good representation and a wild storyline. The writing definitely felt like it needed some work — I felt like the plot became more and more rushed as I read through it. Several moments felt very glossed over or under-explained.
November 6, 2026
New favorite debut author alert? This book ended my reading slump, look up page-turner in the dictionary and this book will be there. Samuel and Harvey have my heart ♥️
October 7, 2026
Hell yes, introduce that there are aliens right off the bat in chapter one. Kennedy Cole did not make us wait for it to get real. There Used to be People Here is an emotional look into two investigators fighting not only their internal demons but also the horrors of society all while hunting down aliens. It felt as if X-Files was two dudes from the 1970’s.
I was very impressed with how well developed Samuel and Harvey were. They felt like real people with real feelings. Our insights into Harvey are more limited because it’s told from Samuel’s perspective but I was still emotionally invested in them both.
The vibes:
small town Mississippi
1970’s police officer racism
alien critters
murder investigation
grief and loss
FBI goons
cozy diners and a queer bar
My only complaint is how long it took them to figure out what we as the reader know from chapter one. However, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have access to 50 years of science fiction that they don’t.
Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.
I was very impressed with how well developed Samuel and Harvey were. They felt like real people with real feelings. Our insights into Harvey are more limited because it’s told from Samuel’s perspective but I was still emotionally invested in them both.
The vibes:
small town Mississippi
1970’s police officer racism
alien critters
murder investigation
grief and loss
FBI goons
cozy diners and a queer bar
My only complaint is how long it took them to figure out what we as the reader know from chapter one. However, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have access to 50 years of science fiction that they don’t.
Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.
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