Set in 1970s Mississippi, There Used to Be People Here follows Samuel Barkley, the only Black detective in the small town of Wenton, as he investigates a mysterious death at a local gay bar. Alongside his temporary partner, Harvey, Samuel uncovers a suspicious plane crash, a disturbing cover-up, and something far more sinister than murder. As the investigation spirals into the unexplainable, Samuel discovers that whatever arrived in Wenton isn’t human, and it has no intention of leaving. Blending crime fiction, science fiction, and horror, this debut explores race, identity, and what it means to be considered an outsider.
I have a LOT of mixed feelings about this one, and even after finishing it, I’m still not entirely sure where I land. There were things I genuinely enjoyed, but ultimately, I think There Used to Be People Here missed the mark for me.
Going into this, I was envisioning something along the lines of Headlights meets Razorblade Tears. What I got was more Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The X-Files. There’s a very S.A. Cosby-esque grittiness to Cole’s writing, but rather than the dark police procedural I was expecting, this leaned much more heavily into character-driven science fiction. Not necessarily a bad thing, just very different from what I anticipated.
On one hand, I really appreciated the depth of Cole’s characters, the excellent representation, and the uniqueness of the alien storyline. Cole doesn’t shy away from the ugly, uncomfortable, or downright gory, and there’s a lot to appreciate in the way she explores race, queerness, and otherness. For a debut, this was an incredibly ambitious story to tackle, and I think Cole got quite a few things right.
But something just didn’t fully come together for me. Despite feeling compelled to keep reading, I found the story unnecessarily drawn out, only for the conclusion to feel a little rushed. I think tightening things up and shortening the overall story could have made it considerably more impactful. I also struggled a bit with the time period. While set in the 1970s, much of the atmosphere felt more reminiscent of the 1940s or earlier. Granted, Mississippi in the 1970s wasn’t exactly known for being progressive, so perhaps that was intentional, but it still felt a little disconnected to me.
Ultimately, this is one of those books where I can recognize the talent, appreciate the originality, and understand what the author was trying to accomplish without necessarily loving the reading experience. I enjoyed the science fiction elements and the gritty character development, but I never quite got the payoff I was hoping for. There’s a lot of potential here, and I’m definitely interested in seeing what Cole writes next, but this one left me feeling like something was missing. I just can’t quite decide what.
There Used to be People Here comes out November 3, 2026. Huge thank you to Berkley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
