*I was sent a copy of All These Bodies in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Harper Collins and Kendare Blake.*

CW: blood, gore, murder, death, grooming 

Synopsis:

Summer 1958. A gruesome killer plagues the Midwest, leaving behind a trail of bodies completely drained of blood. 

Michael Jensen, an aspiring journalist whose father happens to be the town sheriff, never imagined that the Bloodless Murders would come to his backyard. Not until the night the Carlson family was found murdered in their home. Marie Catherine Hale, a diminutive fifteen-year-old, was discovered at the scene—covered in blood. She is the sole suspect in custody.

Michael didn’t think that he would be part of the investigation, but he is pulled in 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?

Review: 

I pretty much devoured this book. Just before reading All These Bodies I was in quite the reading slump after reading so many fantasy romances. However, this book provided an exciting change in pace and genre that I desperately needed. Now thrillers are not books that I often go for, but I am really glad that I read this one. I was hooked from the get-go.

The whole premise of the book was really intriguing and after reading the synopsis I needed to know what had happened. Often I pride myself on being able to guess the ‘twists’ of books, but this one genuinely was not easy to guess. Well maybe it is, but as I said I am pretty good at figuring these things out. 

Throughout the entirety of the book, you saw very small glimpses into the future. These should have felt like spoilers as they were giving away very important information, but they actually didn’t. The inclusion of these felt detrimental to the flow of the story and how it was written and I must say I really liked this style. 

*THE NEXT SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK*

The most disappointing part was the amount of time that was spent wondering over what happened at these crime scenes and who did it and the fact that it was never properly addressed. You hear a lot about who the murderer could be, but never a lot about who they are. Yes, you do get a name and how they relate to everything, but they are only actually present during one interaction with Michael and a recounting of what happened the night the Carlsons were killed by Marie. Basically, I would have actually liked to people get to know them and find out their reasoning for the murders. 

This brings me to my next point. You never really find out why Marie and the murderer are actually killing people. It is related to drinking their blood, but they aren’t vampires. I thought the book was going to take a paranormal turn at one point, but it didn’t. Maybe I’m too dense to have realised it or I’m not remembering properly, so do let me know if I am wrong. 

*SPOILERS ARE DONE*

There was a lot of build-up to the case trial and when it does actually come around it is quite underwhelming. You don’t really get a first-person account of it and overall I would have liked to have spent a lot longer in the courtroom as it was taking place. 

Overall I really enjoyed All These Bodies. Although it is not a genre I would usually go for I will and already have recommended it to my friends. If you are looking for an exciting thriller with an ending that you really won’t predict then you will love this book.

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