Nothing Left to Lose by Dan Wells
Published: June 2017
Nothing Left to Lose by Dan Wells is the 6th in the John Cleaver series. It is the final book in the series.
John is still a teenager. Still a sociopath. Still trying to find and kill the Ancient Gods he calls the Withered. The FBI is still trying to find John.
John has come to Arizona in search of one of the Withered called “Rain”, who may be building an army. Following a lead about the bizarre death of a woman who drowned nowhere near water, John thinks he may have found what/who he is looking for. He isn’t in town long before he too is almost drowned, by someone who said the Dark Lady told him he had to do it. Is the Dark Lady really Rain? He is saved by another of the Withered, who has also been called to town. John tries to befriend him, in hopes that he can lead him to Rain. But John is cautious. He is almost more afraid of the FBI finding him, than of the Withered. He knows this is irrational. However, it isn’t long before the FBI come to town, and all hell breaks loose.
A fitting final tale, where John ends up working in a mortuary. The circle is complete.
Dan Wells created a sociopath that was easy to love. He even created some of the monsters to be lovable. His characters were great, and the ending to this series worked. The plot, from book 1, was original, refreshing, and yes, included a lot of gore, but also a lot of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will probably re-read from start to finish when I have some time.
I guess my one little niggling complaint about the end was that John’s character may have changed a bit much, a little too radically to feel “right”. In my opinion (which matters to no one but me), I think the end should have been a little darker. (I might have had John throw it all away and become a Withered so that he could tackle things from the inside.) Be that as it may, I still enjoyed the series, and would recommend it to anyone!
I will miss John Cleaver!
Read: October 2017
Favorite Quotes from Nothing Left to Lose:
“As DIY projects go, murder is easier and more common than painting your living room, though—to be fair—significantly harder to hide.”
“We need guilt the same way we need pain—because it reminds us what happened, and it helps us not to do it again.”
“Guilt is our emotional immune system.”
About the Author: Dan Wells (March 4, 1977 – ) lives in North Salt Lake, Utah, with his wife and children. In addition to the John Cleaver (I am Not a Serial Killer) Series, he has also written the Partials Series, as well as stand-alone novels. He has a popular Podcast called Writing Excuses.
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