I like me a good thriller story. I like a good fantasy story as well (as much as one can). Put them together and there is a really fascinating story to tell.

This particular story was about some murders in the 1950s and the son of the sheriff is basically roped into interviewing a girl who was found at the scene of the murder and knows the true murderer and was part of several other murders that they committed together known as "the bloodless murders". And... that's where the fantasy comes in... I'll leave you to your imagination on that one...

For the most part, the story is good, the narration is believable and the characters are worthy. My biggest beef came with some of the storylines just not being completed. There's a lot going on in this book and there are many red herrings and twists, but then Blake just sort of leaves the reader with these big questions, unanswered and that's sort of lame. I get the reasoning behind it, but part of me gets frustrated with authors who chose to drop big reveals and then leave them hanging... I get the suspense piece and the reader asking questions angle, but there were quite a few items left hanging here. Regardless, the book is worthy of YA lit and the writing is really solid, but tie up some of these loose ends, yo.

This was received as an ARC from Netgalley.

This truly chilling tale about a case of serial models across Nebraska and Wyoming grips the reader from the beginning. The protagonist spends his time trying to find out what has really happened, and learns about himself along the way. Overall, this was a great read, but the ending left me wanting more. Things got muddled and I had to read the last 2 chapters a few time just to make some sense appear to me. I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of mystery with some questionable supernatural elements stirred in.

The year is 1958, and there’s been a gruesome series of murders across the Midwest. The perpetrator leaves the victims completely drained of their blood. Michael Jensen is the sheriff’s son, and when the murders come to their town, Michael gets dragged into it all in a way he didn’t expect. A girl was found in the middle of the bloodless bodies, covered in blood from head to toe. She’s not a victim, though - she’s a suspect. And out of all the journalists and cops in the country, she’ll only agree to tell her side of the story to Michael.

Well... it certainly was a book. I felt just as dragged along as Michael for most of this. He couldn’t weasel the right answers out of Marie and kept trying and it was just frustrating to get virtually nowhere with them. It’s told in a sort of past tense, but Michael keeps interjecting with stuff from different times or even just stuff from the end of all of it. It took me out of the story a bit. I did really like Percy, Michael’s best friend. He was sensitive and probably more loyal than Michael deserved. I was so let down and confused by the way the story ended. Also, content warning for pet death.

This is a story about a murderer that never was.

I was fascinated by this book, and felt taken in by the writing. It was atmospheric in the disquieting way stories about awful things in mundane places tend to be, and the author perfectly captured the feeling of something that doesn’t belong in a familiar place. I also loved the way that the author described cognitive dissonance, and the before & after of being a human surviving trauma.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5. Thank you so much Netgalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for this e-Arc!

When Marie Catherine Hale is discovered covered head to toe in blood standing in the middle of a small town murder scene, she immediately becomes a witness in a series of gruesome murders. No one knows how these murders can be solved as little blood has been found on the scene and no suspects had been arrested yet. Marie agrees to be interviewed, but not by the police or the prosecutors. She only agrees to be interviewed to "tell her story" to the son of the town's sheriff.

Michael Jensen wants to be a journalist when he gets older and this might be his shot at stardom. Will he be able to get the truth out of this captivating suspected murderer? Or is she not a murderer at all? Just who, or quite possibly WHAT, is responsible for these horrific crimes?

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Blake acknowledges that it was influenced, in part, by the all-time classic In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and it reads eerily similarly. Any fan of true crime stories and murder mysteries will be engrossed in All These Bodies!

Obviously the subject matter (gore, mature content, adult themes) makes this book for more mature readers, but I will definitely be looking to recommend this to students when it releases in September!

Blake took inspiration from killer headlines of 50's and weaved them into her own "supernatural" thriller. I could not put the book down, I had to know how her story played out.

Marie is the 15/16 yr old girl found covered in blood( yes, like Anna)... only she is alive and it isn't her blood.

Michael, the storyteller is the local sheriff's son. After a summer of serial killings, one happens in Michael's small town - in the hopes of the killer not getting away the sheriff uses every teen boy/ man to comb the area. That is where these two cross paths and when it comes to for Marie's interrogation, she only wants to confess to Michael. Marie tells Michael this unbelievable story, but little by little it seems like her story might be true or is some else manipulating how things are being precieved?

3.5/5 stars

I felt very unfulfilled after finishing this book. All These Bodies is set in the 1950s and follows a series of mysteries deaths where the bodies are completely devoid of blood. A young girl is found completely covered in blood when the latest 3 bodies are found. She develops a relationship with the main character, Michael, and she will only tell her story to him. The story she tells him is unbelievable to law enforcement but strange occurrences around town make Michael believe she just might be telling the truth.

The ending is really what left me unsatisfied. It's not wrapped up in a pretty little bow like most stories but just leaves a lot of implications about "the truth".

This was my first book of Kendare Blake’s, and I was very impressed. From start to finish, Blake keeps you guessing on what is real to the story and what is all just made up. The best part of it all is that you never really find out. It leaves you to decide what happened. The ending left it open for the possibility a sequel with so many loose ends, but even without one, I am very content with how this finished. I loved this book and will definitely be recommending it at work!

All These Bodies is an interesting change of direction for Kendare Blake, taking us back to the late 1950s Minnesota Midwest of America, with a story which has a true crime feel to it. Blake is much better known for her terrific horror novel Anna Dressed in Blood and dark fantasy such as the Three Dark Crowns series. The main character is aspiring journalist Michael Jensen who dreams of escaping the small-town life of Black Deer Falls, go to college, meet a girl, and find excitement elsewhere. He has had the same friends his entire life and his father is the local sheriff. Nothing new ever happens, until a series of graphic murders which the newspapers brand the ‘Bloodless Murders’ seem to be heading in their direction. After multiple killings, where the victims are drained of blood, there is a killing in their town. As Michael’s father is the sheriff Michael finds himself very close to the action and even closer to the only suspect, fifteen-year-old Marie Catherine Hale.

Although All These Bodies was a solid enough read it was very one paced and the author tried too hard to sell the unconvincing supernatural angle. The story was inspired by real life murders and the true crime feel it has failed to gel properly with there potentially being vampires on the loose. Also, the way in which the author shoehorns the YA angle into the story lacked credibility: here we have is a woman implicated in 12-14 murders, but the only person she will speak to is a seventeen-year-old boy. Yeah, right. Although proceedings felt like an authentic 1950s America and the attention to detail was convincing, I felt that the story lacked suspense, as we were being repeatedly told (from Marie to Michael) after the fact what went on and after a while, I began to lose interest in who the male killer truly was, human or something else. It had its moments, but I feel many teens will find this a rather frustrating read. AGE RANGE 13+

All These Bodies, for me, was pretty bland. I had issues with a few things and I loved a few things, I found myself really let down by the ending though, as it felt like an easy way to write the end of this rather interesting story.

To start I really liked the characters, Michael and Marie were definitely fully thought out and you could feel that Kendare Blake went into writing thinking about how these two would play off each other. In the moments where we weren't with them together I found the story dragging, and not really progressing, but when Michael and Marie interacted the story moved forward at an extremely fast pace.

My disappointment comes from the pacing, it was very up and down, and I found it hard to get into a grove with the book even though I didn't take long to read it. I wanted to love this book and for the last 75 pages or so I thought I would have a complete change of opinion if the ending was going where it seemed to be going, but unfortunately the ending was overwhelmingly disappointing.

Now, to end on a good note, I loved the concept of this book. The murders, the slight paranormal aspect, and the small town getting wrapped up in a big time mystery. I loved the setting, 1958 was the perfect time era to put this in and think that making the choice to put it in a small town instead of a big city really contributed to the atmosphere of the book.

Overall if someone wanted a mystery that had pretty dark and creepy vibes based around real murders? I'd absolutely recommend this to them. I think it just didn't hit exactly right with me, but I think plenty of other reader will fall absolutely in love with this book.

Shoutout to NetGalley and Kendare Blake for the ARC Copy in exchange for an honest review. Wowowowowowow- yes. I finished this book in about 3 hours because it was just so dang good I could not stop. #NoShame

Anyways, Blake does an awesome job of keeping you guessing all throughout this book. I questioned my thought process consistently and was always wondering what was going to happen next.

This news is the biggest event for this small town, especially when a girl is found covered in blood next to three dead bodies. She claims she didn't do it, so who did?! This book has so many twists and turns, you honestly never really know what's truly going on until that last page.

Bam. The ending. I was like- ummm WHAT.

Okay yeah. Read this book. You'll probably binge it as I did.

I started this book and finished it within 24 hrs because it was that damn good. OK, I wanted to downgrade it a star because of the ending and how mad it made me but ultimately decided against it because it really was a very well done book!

Super atmospheric and creepy small town vibes. Set in the late 50's. Murder spree without the blood. say less!!!!!!! I was hook, line and sinker for this. also slightly mortified and embarrassed that I read this before I finished the final book in Blakes 3DC series. I know, I am scared to go there people.
The twist part of the book was very left field.

I will say this. If you are going into this murder mystery expecting to have all the answers at the conclusion, this is probably not it for you. If you are a true crime junkie like myself and just live for the crime drama you will probably like this stabby, but not bloody book.

my favorite characters? probably the dogs early on in the book because they had the good sense to get tf outta there. hahaha but really I liked Marie quite a bit. I felt her character was the strongest and most developed of the lot and omg that girl been through some Carrie esque shit.

If this is Blakes new style I am all in. Give me more of this. Please.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it so incredibly interesting. I read it in two days.

Everyone knows about the Bloodless Murders that have been taking place across various states and it has now made its way into the small town of Black Deer Falls, Minnesota where a family was murdered. The only difference in this murder is that there was a girl drenched in blood standing in the middle of it all. The sheriff takes her into custody as an accomplice.

While they try to puzzle out what happened and her role in everything, Marie decides that she will only tell her story to Michael Jensen, the sheriff's 17 year old son. When he asks her why him, she tells him that he is the only one likely to believe her.

The story that is weaved continually keeps you guessing how it will end. It's got a paranormal element to it, but yet rooted in history and reality. I was constantly wondering where Marie's story would lead. Every part of the story that was told was necessary and kept the plot moving forward as Michael tries to unravel Marie's story. It's a story about the cost of the truth. Is Marie lying? Does she simply remember the events wrong? Did a past trauma influence her? Will people believe her story or are they just looking for someone to blame no matter the cost?

The whole story has so much more depth to it than just a story about finding the truth and a murderer. I absolutely loved it and loved the ending. It's a must read.

"All These Bodies" gave me the chills that I was looking for. Kendare Blake has done it again so don't miss out on this one!

This was such a ride! I could not put this book down because I had to know what happened. But do I still know what happened?!?! Blake is such a master storyteller.

WOW! This one is disturbing, but in really good ways.

The author does a great job of creating "place" in this novel. The reader really understands this quiet, insular town that suddenly finds itself in a multi-state spotlight when a local family is murdered.

Our POV is that of the local sheriff's son. I don't think calling these characters "Andy Griffith-like" is a stretch. This is a small town that previously had seen very little crime. The book is set in 1958 and someone has been going around small towns, committing murders, and leaving the bodies completely drained of blood with no fingerprints or evidence. Just when people began to stop carrying their guns, another murder is committed. Nearly an entire family in a nice quiet farmhouse just outside of town. When the police arrive there are three dead bodies, a crying baby, and teenage girl covered in blood. She agrees to confess but only to the sheriff's son. Opie is about to get woke.

It is easy to get caught up villainizing characters like the tough as nails, wildly inappropriate visiting from Nebraska DA. It is easy to forget that this little girl was the one found at the murder scene. She was present at the time of the murders. I want to say more about how the narration hints at the reader, because it is really jarring and keeps you on your toes. But I also want to be careful to not share too many spoilers. So, what I will say is that this Capote-esque novel is truly frightening and a book you will not be able to put down.

This is Catherine Hale's story... victim? Murderess? Liar? Delusional? Psychopath? The reader has choices to make on what to believe. Blake spins Catherine as a characte and her story in a way that will keep you between empathy, disgust, fear and always unease. And even when you think you've figured it all out? One last bomb explodes to blow your carefully pieced puzzle apart.


"Tell the truth and shame the devil. When I started that seemed like an easy thing... Find out what really happened, because the truth is the truth. Except it isn't, is it? Facts, maybe. But the truth is our own. It's tied up with belief. And belief is harder to hold down"

I dont know what possessed me to read a fiction account of a murder spree throughout the Midwest days before I'm driving from Colorado to St. Louis but I did, and I have to drive back to Colorado again too.

Kendare Blake just loves bloody murdering everything... queens... sprees... my love for 3DC now makes complete sense.
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This novel was very spooky and unsettling. The entire atmosphere and setting really set the tone for the story to unfold in the best way. What I loved best about this book was that you never really know what to believe. The story is told from the viewpoint of Michael, an aspiring journalist and son of the local sheriff, whose small town is rocked by the latest in a series of sensational murders that have rocked the nation in the late 1950s. Michael is pulled into the investigation when the only person at the crime scene, a young girl covered in the victim's blood, chooses to tell him her story and the story of all the murders, however unbelievable they may sound. I really enjoyed this book and the story was super thrilling, though I did feel like the timeline was a little dragged out, and I was still left curious at the end. All in all, the writing was good and the characters were well written and likeable(except for the ones who weren't supposed to be). I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.

There is something wonderful about the way the time period in which the story takes place lends to its creepiness. That is, in the late '50s, there was so much trust and so little that was gruesome that anything remotely strange comes off as SINISTER - which is a great vibe that stays consistent through the whole book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

It's honestly difficult for me to pin down how I feel about this book. I almost stopped reading it very early on, but it grew on me over time and I ended up liking it by the end. But I mostly like it for the atmosphere and the unsettling vibe it was putting out the whole way through. There were some parts of it that made me very uncomfortable. I realize that was the intention, but it doesn't change how I felt. I also have a more nitpick negative thought about the book. I don't think it's fair to penalize it for that but again, it affected how I looked at the story.

This nitpick I'm talking about is the fact that the book set itself up as the principle narrator claiming he was going to tell Marie's story. The book doesn't even get around to him talking to Marie until maybe the 30% marker, and even then we only get small pieces of her story. And that's not even where it stops. Another character swoops in and starts telling parts of Marie's story, something that she is deeply upset and pissed about. So I personally did not like that the reader never actually got to have Marie's story told to us in her own words-- we got these two guys telling her story for her. Michael was a bit more faithful about it than the other guy, but still. I'm sure someone else can write a think piece on the meaning behind these guys telling her story instead of her getting to tell it herself but for me, I just see a huge missed opportunity. This could have been like Frankenstein or Interview With a Vampire where the main narrator is simply relaying a story that another character is telling them.

Now for the part that made me uncomfortable. I don't usually like spoiling books when I review them, but I believe it's important in this case because it's a pretty huge trigger warning. It is very heavily implied that Marie was sexually abused by her stepfather. If that isn't bad enough, she's painted as a seductress and a willing participant in the sexual acts, and she's constantly being branded as "that kind" of girl. While the town's reaction to her is completely believable and shows echoes of things from real life, it's still gross and unsettling. Granted, the reader never knows with complete certainty if Marie was sexually abused since she never says so herself, but as it's focused on quite a bit, it's still prominent enough that I need to mention it.

Uncertainty is one of the things that could go either way with readers: either they're going to like the ambiguity of the book, or they're going to dislike the fact that there are so few answers and so much is left open for readers to interpret. Like I said, Marie tells some bits of her story, but she's vague about a lot of it and she never talks about some parts. Marie's involvement and participation, either willingly or not, is left open to debate, as is the identity of the man she was with. There's also a lot of weird stuff that goes on in town that's never fully explained. So if you're the sort of reader who needs to have a definite "this is what happened", this is not the book for you. I personally liked the uncertainty, but that's me.

Like I said before, the best part of the book for me was the atmosphere. I already admitted I disengaged early on when I realized I wasn't going to have Marie's story told to me by Marie herself, but I found myself drawing back in with the small town vibe and the eerie, gothic feel. On the whole it has a timeless quality to it, and only on occasion does it make the reader aware of the time period. I also think it would make great book club discussion analyzing what a "monster" is in the context of the book and the mob mentality that comes out through the course of the story.

It's dark, it's unsettling, it has a nice old school horror vibe, and the ending leaves the reader with uncertainty. I would recommend it with the note to be aware of the trigger warning as well as there being no real happy ending. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's depressing, but I would say it's tragic.