Young, rootless, hitching rides from nowhere to nowhere, Miriam Black is a woman with a special talent: whenever she touches someone for the first time she gets a vision of when they will die. Sometimes the moment of death will be years into the future; sometimes it is much closer. She manages to find coping strategies, she even finds ways to exploit her gift, but someone with this kind of talent is always going to attract attention. The wrong kind of attention. When a kindly truck-driver rescues her from a run-in with two rowdy frat-boys, Miriam sees that his violent death will come soon, and when he dies he will be mouthing her name. Building a fast-paced story through clever interweaving of viewpoints and flashback, Blackbirds follows what Miriam does when she knows that fate can never be denied. It's vivid and violent, with some pyrotechnic turns of phrase, if occasionally rough round the edges. If you're looking for a sassy, hard-boiled thriller with a paranormal slant, Wendig has established himself as the go-to man.