What do you think?
Rate this book
As Dead Things Do
The land has been in the family for centuries, divided and passed down over generations.
Caleb knew when he agreed to move to his husband's family plot in rural North Carolina that it would come with its headaches. What he never imagined, however, is that their efforts to rebuild a marriage torn apart by infidelity would soon take a back seat to the pale, skeletal thing that haunts the basement. The shadowy figure that moves about in the barn. The hateful blackness just below their feet.
It rots. It ruins. It fights to be remembered...
As dead things do.
Caleb knew when he agreed to move to his husband's family plot in rural North Carolina that it would come with its headaches. What he never imagined, however, is that their efforts to rebuild a marriage torn apart by infidelity would soon take a back seat to the pale, skeletal thing that haunts the basement. The shadowy figure that moves about in the barn. The hateful blackness just below their feet.
It rots. It ruins. It fights to be remembered...
As dead things do.
- GenresHorror
310 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2022
1 person is currently reading
139 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 13, 2025
As Dead Things Do is a chilling, atmospheric read that completely pulled me in from the very first page. The rural setting alone gave me goosebumps—isolated, eerie, and heavy with tension, it was the perfect backdrop for a supernatural horror story that doesn’t hold back.
The creepy factor in this book is off the charts in the best possible way. The supernatural elements were so well done—haunting, mysterious, and just grounded enough to make you question what’s real. It had that slow-burn dread that builds beautifully and pays off in genuinely unsettling ways.
What made this story really stand out, though, was the emotional core. The main character’s struggles—adapting to a new environment, navigating a relationship that’s not fully accepted by family, and processing betrayal from an affair—added incredible depth to the story. These weren’t just scares for the sake of scares; the horror was tied to very real human experiences, making everything hit harder.
If you’re looking for a queer horror novel with layered characters, an eerie rural setting, and spine-tingling supernatural twists, As Dead Things Do is a must-read. It’s heartfelt, haunting, and lingers with you long after the last page.
The creepy factor in this book is off the charts in the best possible way. The supernatural elements were so well done—haunting, mysterious, and just grounded enough to make you question what’s real. It had that slow-burn dread that builds beautifully and pays off in genuinely unsettling ways.
What made this story really stand out, though, was the emotional core. The main character’s struggles—adapting to a new environment, navigating a relationship that’s not fully accepted by family, and processing betrayal from an affair—added incredible depth to the story. These weren’t just scares for the sake of scares; the horror was tied to very real human experiences, making everything hit harder.
If you’re looking for a queer horror novel with layered characters, an eerie rural setting, and spine-tingling supernatural twists, As Dead Things Do is a must-read. It’s heartfelt, haunting, and lingers with you long after the last page.
September 8, 2022
I’m always looking for new avenues to feed my love of horror so I put this book at the top of my reading list —- and I am so happy I did. The author sucks the reader into his lead character and takes them on a journey of terror, addiction, hate, resentment, curiosity and love. Aside from the incredible way the setting and characters are so vividly described (you can basically feel the humidity of the south while turning the pages), I love the exploration into the characters’ personal ghosts and demons — not just the ones wreaking havoc on this couple. Finally, I totally appreciate, without sharing spoilers, the early twist that separates this novel from most ghost stories. Original, inclusive and terrifying. A great read with a shocking conclusion. Well done and I look forward to reading more from this new author.
December 23, 2025
It’s fine. It found it sort of boring for the most part. It’s very much a story where you live in the MC’s head, without a lot of interaction with other people, and without making a lot of meaningful choices; it felt to me more like a story of someone enduring a situation, and I prefer a bit more narrative engine.
The story also seemed to use the ghost story aspects to have things just happen in ways that felt overly convenient (for the story, at least, not necessarily for the characters).
And I sort of had a sense of where the ending was going early on (horror stories don’t invoke infidelity for nothing) so the 200+ pages it took to actually get there felt like sort of a slog.
I definitely liked the book more in concept than I did in execution; I can’t say I actually enjoyed reading it.
The story also seemed to use the ghost story aspects to have things just happen in ways that felt overly convenient (for the story, at least, not necessarily for the characters).
And I sort of had a sense of where the ending was going early on (horror stories don’t invoke infidelity for nothing) so the 200+ pages it took to actually get there felt like sort of a slog.
I definitely liked the book more in concept than I did in execution; I can’t say I actually enjoyed reading it.
August 1, 2022
Very enjoyable take on the haunted house story - character driven and takes it in new and creepy directions.
August 20, 2022
I read this book in two days. I could not put it down and I don’t normally read scary books! I could not figure the story out which kept me glued to my Kindle!
September 25, 2023
I was GLUED to this book and read it in one day!
September 13, 2025
This book was an excellent read! It had some creepy twists and turns and for sure made me feel uneasy at certain parts (in a good way) :)
August 4, 2022
Sucked me in. I wanted to be Caleb's friend, and also just want to see the house in real life. Details, characters, frightening happenings- this book is IT for your next scary, horror-ific read!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews