All These Bodies: Review

All These Bodies Published by Quill Tree Books by Kendare Blake
on September 21, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Vampires, Thriller, YA, Historical
Pages: 304
Source: Borrowed, Library
Format: Hardcover
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

ISBN: 0062977164
Rating:

Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation.
Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.
September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.
Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.
As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?

Okay, so… I admit it; this book is not what I thought it would be. I thought it would be strictly about a young girl who was a serial killer–or at least an accomplice to a serial killer. However, that’s just not really what I got.

So, the book, at its core, is about a sheriff’s son, Michael Jensen. He’s an aspiring journalist and he gets the chance of a lifetime when the serial murders that have been plaguing the area land in his hometown.

Found, covered in blood, is fifteen-year-old Marie–at the scene of the latest crime. And when she’s captured, the only one she wants to talk to about her side of the story is Michael.

So, what follows is Michael hearing Marie’s side of things. And the reader, knowing full-well that Michael is the narrator–and slightly taken in by Marie–is left to decide whether we believe Marie. Seen through Michael’s eyes, I will admit that we’re supposed to be convinced.

Here’s where the book surprised me. I was expecting something explainable–not something supernatural. However, I don’t say that with disappointment. I was actually pleased with the turn of events. I’m just not sure how I feel about the ending.

Let me just say that this book was a welcome surprise. Michael was a great narrator to follow, as I was able to relate to all of his emotions while also understanding that as a teenage boy with hormones–you have to take some of it with a grain of salt.

But, the book left me stewing at the end…And that’s just the kind of book I love.

 

 

Related Posts