A House with Good Bones, T. Kingfisher

About the Book

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

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My Thoughts

“The problem with family is that they know where all the levers are that make you move. They’re usually the ones who installed the levers in the first place.”

When Sam goes to stay with her mother after being laid off, her brother warns her their mother has been acting off. Sam doesn’t know what he means, but she’s prepared for the worst. Or so she thinks. As she puzzles out what’s happening, more questions than answers arise. Something is off, and maybe it’s not just with her mother.

I always enjoy anything Kingfisher publishes. This has the right amount of offbeat and horror, with humor mixed in. I love the relationship Sam has with her mother, Edie. While I figured out a few things early on, it didn’t deter my enjoyment because the way Kingfisher builds dread keeps the reader engaged and anxious to watch it all unfold.

Thank you, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for sending this along.