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Over Your Dead Body
(John Cleaver #5)
by
New York Times bestselling author Dan Wells continues his popular John Wayne Cleaver series in Over Your Dead Body.
John and Brooke are on their own, hitchhiking from town to town as they hunt the last of the Withered through the midwest--but the Withered are hunting them back, and the FBI is close behind. With each new town, each new truck stop, each new highway, they get
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Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published
May 3rd 2016
by Tor Books
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Luis Vargas
no, is the secuel from the history, if you read this book, maybe you will be have a spoiler from the before book
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Start your review of Over Your Dead Body (John Cleaver, #5)

"I promised a friend I'd walk through hell to get her back," I said. "Don't make me bring you with me."I motherfudging love this series
Meet John Wayne Cleaver - my absolute favorite psychopath - he's got all the hallmarks of a serial killer: He loves torturing, he's fascinated with dead bodies and fantasizes about killing his friends and family.
BUT WAIT - Don't turn away.
Ever since he was aware of his tendencies, he's made the conscious effort to resist any and all serial killer behavi ...more

Simply gorgeous. A tale of friendship between a suicidal demon and the remnants of dead girls and a psychopathic boy set on destroying the rest of the demons.
It's a roadtrip novel, a cry for help, full of despair and love, goodness and evil.
This ought to be enough to describe it, but it isn't. The previous novels were a wonderful prelude to this, now streamlined and pure in its hellish clarity. Just wow. This is something like 2 or 3 times better than the previous novel, or perhaps its starkness ...more
It's a roadtrip novel, a cry for help, full of despair and love, goodness and evil.
This ought to be enough to describe it, but it isn't. The previous novels were a wonderful prelude to this, now streamlined and pure in its hellish clarity. Just wow. This is something like 2 or 3 times better than the previous novel, or perhaps its starkness ...more

Oh, Dan, you magnificent monster! You've done it again!
...more

Because dead ex girlfriends arnt bad enough, their subconscious and memory's have to be put in your most recent ex girlfriend and can submerge at any time so you have to continually ask who you are talking to. As if this book isnt weird (good weird i love this series) enough without that awkwardness.
I loved Brooke/everyone thats inside her and Johns friendship and how their relationship grew throughout their journey. ...more
I loved Brooke/everyone thats inside her and Johns friendship and how their relationship grew throughout their journey. ...more

I feel bad for giving this such a low review but... I wanted to love this, and I did love a good portion of it, but after The Devil's Only Friend, which had me conflicted, this one seemed to be the one that would decide whether or not I liked where the series is going. Plotwise, it seems I don't.
I love John and Booke and all the characters introduced. I love the supernatural aspect of their world. I love the conversations, and the banter, and the dark humor and the puzzle of figuring out what mo ...more
I love John and Booke and all the characters introduced. I love the supernatural aspect of their world. I love the conversations, and the banter, and the dark humor and the puzzle of figuring out what mo ...more

Apr 27, 2021
Claudie ☾
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
series,
paranormal,
angels-demons,
crime-thriller-mystery,
read-in-2021,
5-stars,
horror,
cute-but-psycho
This one was a little slower in the beginning, but turned out to be every bit as satisfying as the previous books. It also packed an additional emotional punch; (view spoiler) With John’s anchor pretty much gone now, the last book’s title is making a lot of sense…
...more

Now, 3 stars isn't necessarily a bad thing. Did I like this book? Yes! Did I love it? Nope, and that is honestly heartbreaking to me considering how much I love this series and characters. This installment just fell so flat. John and Brooke head out after the disaster of the last book on a cross-country hitch-hike hunting down Withered on their own! Sounds fun right? It should have been, but I was honestly bored for the majority of the book. I really don't feel like this should have been a full
...more

This is probably my second favorite book in the series behind Mr. Monster, because of the absolutely horrifying moral dilemma that John faces in it. You don't think it's all that bad? Sit down and REALLY think about it for a few minutes. His only friend left in the entire world, someone he'd die to protect, all of a sudden starts manifesting the personality and memories of the only person that he has ever loved in his entire life and failed to protect. Where do you even begin to start working th
...more

Let me start this review by saying that I read this book in German, because it's not out in English yet. However, I'm not German, I'm Dutch, and I speak German as a third language - which means that it's entirely possible that I've missed some important things while reading. When I've read the English version(when it's come out), I'll make sure to fix that. So, anyway, you might want to take this review with a pinch of salt.
That said, I've had the fortune of attending two writing retreats where ...more
That said, I've had the fortune of attending two writing retreats where ...more

I liked this book a bit more than the previous one, but I'm still unsure if I like the direction the story is heading with the main characters. The first trilogy had a very creepy, eerie vibe... this seems to have lost that but it came back in the end with the reveal of the killer.
Still, I am hoping for more backstory on the Withered. I don't know if I'll get it, but hopefully in this last book coming up it'll all come full circle.
I'm betting on it and I'm betting on you, John. Don't let me do ...more
Still, I am hoping for more backstory on the Withered. I don't know if I'll get it, but hopefully in this last book coming up it'll all come full circle.
I'm betting on it and I'm betting on you, John. Don't let me do ...more

Ahh, this was so different! I really enjoy this series. You think you know what to expect...you are wrong. This series took a very different turn from where it started. I do indeed recommend this. To say too much would spoil the story. Start from the beginning and read until the last book.

Eeep! We have a cover! Looks great.

actual rating: 3.5
I think this is probably the best book since the first one, but it still definitely has some rough spots. I like that it is more focused on John and Brooke [and Brooke's other personalities] because one of my huge problems with the fourth book were that there were just too many characters and I didn't care about any of them so it's nice to get back to basics here.
Unfortunately the plot seemed to meander aimlessly for a lot of the book, but I guess since they are hitching their ...more
I think this is probably the best book since the first one, but it still definitely has some rough spots. I like that it is more focused on John and Brooke [and Brooke's other personalities] because one of my huge problems with the fourth book were that there were just too many characters and I didn't care about any of them so it's nice to get back to basics here.
Unfortunately the plot seemed to meander aimlessly for a lot of the book, but I guess since they are hitching their ...more

Wow the emotional roller coaster that takes place within this book is extreme. John goes on one of his toughest missions yet and is hit with a bunch of different obstacles each one more harrowing then the next. I swear Dan Wells gets better with each book because you can tell he does his research to the finest point. He makes sure he knows what he is talking about and does it in a way that hopefully won't offend people while reading. I also find myself learning while I've been reading this serie
...more

I loved reading about John, Brooke and Boy Dog on the road. Once again, Dan Wells gave us a bunch of crazy scenes.

Dan Wells gives us an interesting fifth installment of his John Cleaver series in Over Your Dead Body. I read some of the online reviews that say this book is disjointed and slightly disappointing, but I disagree. Strongly. If you are a fan of the John Cleaver series, you will feel satisfied and thankful after reading it.
John Wayne Cleaver is back, again hunting Withered, but now basically doing it the way he wants to after the debacle in Fort Bruce (in book 4). With Brooke/Marci/Nobody and Boy ...more
John Wayne Cleaver is back, again hunting Withered, but now basically doing it the way he wants to after the debacle in Fort Bruce (in book 4). With Brooke/Marci/Nobody and Boy ...more

Having so much action in the previous books, some might think this one falls flat. Maybe it takes some time for things to get hairy, but while you’re waiting, you get even deeper into John’s psyche. Still a budding sociopath, John is more focused on killing the Withered than his own needs. Until a clever killer steals John’s thoughts of people he wants to kill and how he wants to kill them, and copies it in real life. It’s like he’s stealing a part of John. And its a clever way to caste suspicio
...more

I struggled to see where I would land. Is it a 3 or a 4? In the end, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. So I'm settling on a 4.
John is at a crossroads in life. Trying to figure out what's important to him, what he needs, what he wants to do. So many questions surround him, and as crazy as it sounds, he needs to finally make some big decisions. I know some people find this as filler, I found it as soul seeking, and to me that's the most interesting arc for a lot of characters.
Sur ...more
John is at a crossroads in life. Trying to figure out what's important to him, what he needs, what he wants to do. So many questions surround him, and as crazy as it sounds, he needs to finally make some big decisions. I know some people find this as filler, I found it as soul seeking, and to me that's the most interesting arc for a lot of characters.
Sur ...more

I have never felt agony until I read this book. Unlike the last 4, this wasn’t written in thriller style. The first half was just travel, and a lot of conversations, but it was pain. True pain for the characters and what John was going through. The second half was more of a thriller plot, but it was built on a strong foundation of emotional pain. Those two things put together created an experience that was impossible to stop putting myself through no matter how much I wished I could. The ending
...more

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The fifth installment once again finds John in a very unique situation. Again, I loved the internal conflicts that John has to face and deal with, and I loved John's and Brook's interactions. Not going to lie, I had a lot of anxiety reading this one. Mr. Wells creates some really intense scenes in this one. So yeah, still love this series. ...more
Paranormal Fantasy Favorites
The fifth installment once again finds John in a very unique situation. Again, I loved the internal conflicts that John has to face and deal with, and I loved John's and Brook's interactions. Not going to lie, I had a lot of anxiety reading this one. Mr. Wells creates some really intense scenes in this one. So yeah, still love this series. ...more

So much character and plot development! So many emotions!!! John confronts a lot of his feelings in this book and I think he's better for it. I love his character and I want him to be happy so I'll just be over here sobbing over a serial killer that says he isn't a serial killer because he only kills demons and bad people.
...more

So what do you get when you cross a young Dexter with the CW TV show Supernatural? You get John Wayne Cleaver. A sociopathic hero. I would say more, but I don't want to give it away.
...more

Jun 13, 2017
Carly
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Alright, book five in the John Cleaver Series, Over Your Dead Body.
This book isn't near as hectic as the rest of the series. Most of the story takes place on the road. John, Brooke, and Boy Dog ditched the FBI and decided to take off on their own, killing Withered everywhere they go. With Brooke's ever-changing personality, John has to stay alert 24/7. He can't have her changing personalities and running off every time she has to relive a thousand year old death. He's constantly protecting her f ...more
This book isn't near as hectic as the rest of the series. Most of the story takes place on the road. John, Brooke, and Boy Dog ditched the FBI and decided to take off on their own, killing Withered everywhere they go. With Brooke's ever-changing personality, John has to stay alert 24/7. He can't have her changing personalities and running off every time she has to relive a thousand year old death. He's constantly protecting her f ...more

I'm not generally a big fan of horror/sci fi, but I do like this series. John Wayne Cleaver has sociopathic tendencies but he recognizes this and fights to overcome his desires and keep his own "rules" in order to keep those around him safe. Quick, interesting reads with lots of unexpected twists and turns.
...more

Reliably good, but not exceptional. Somewhere between a 3 and a 4. Same flavor as the other ones in the series, but it wasn't set apart from them for me. Enjoyable.
...more

John and Brooke have been hunting Withered on their own for a while now. Using Nobody's fractured memories, they go from one small town to the next killing the killers but that is much harder when they get to a small town that seems to have no pattern to its killings. In fact, there were no killings until John and Brooke showed up. Which makes John ask what are the Withered missing? But he can't seem to answer that question. Then the FBI show up. Or at least one agent. Someone who understands Jo
...more
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Dan Wells is a thriller and science fiction writer. Born in Utah, he spent his early years reading and writing. He is he author of the Partials series (Partials, Isolation, Fragments, and Ruins), the John Cleaver series (I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want To Kill You), and a few others (The Hollow City, A Night of Blacker Darkness, etc). He was a Campbell nomine for best new w
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