This book had a really interesting premise and really great characters, but it lost me in two ways. First, the plot would get pretty boring. It was very slow paced and dragged in the middle. Also, the very end was extremely confusing to me.

Blake's latest book is nonstop read, that will keep you guessing till the end. Young Marie is in tangled with the wrong mysterious man, this could led her to her very demise.

I really liked this book. I could not put this book down; it reminded me of In Cold Blood. Loved the main character and the message that there is more to the story than meets the eye.

Kendare Blake offers a fast-paced YA thriller/horror book that will appeal to fans of the genre and of Blake's other work (the Three Dark Crowns series). Teen reporter Michael Jensen becomes the sole confidant of the only lead/suspect in the gruesome Bloodless Murders. Marie was found at the scene of the latest massacre, covered in blood, but completely unharmed. As she unfolds her story, Michael is not sure what to believe...is she telling the truth? Is the murderer human or supernatural? The ending is ambiguous but will still resonate with teen readers.

Being a true crime junkie, I loved the crime and investigation aspect of this book. Blake is incredibly talented at creating a small town feel and intertwining the characters so the reader can feel how close the relationships are within the town. The ending was predictable, as a reader of crime and thriller/suspense stories. I think this would be good for teens who are new to the genre, but any teen who is an avid thriller reader is likely to guess the ending, which always makes an ending less enjoyable.

This was a super quick read about a girl who is found at a murder scene covered in blood.
15 year old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene of the murder of Carlson family soaked in blood. No one believes a girl so young could have possibly murdered an entire family. There has been a string of murders with the same M.O. and the local sheriff wants to find out who the serial killer is. His son, Michael, agrees to interview her and find out about her reasoning for being there, why she was covered in blood with no wounds and if she has someone working with her.
The story definitely takes a more supernatural turn but it was obvious that's where it was going. If you like these types of books, you'll like this one. If you don't like murder, blood and stories set in the past, you likely won't like this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review. Definitely more of a true crime mystery/noir than a straight up supernatural horror story but it was fascinating. It wasn’t what I expected but in a good way. It was also very unique in having a male narrator in the story.

Fascinating, horrifying, heartbreaking, a vampire story (maybe), and just a really great read. Kendare Blake does horror so well and I was drawn in from page one of All These Bodies.

I will always love Kendare Blake's writing and while this one was creeptacular in some really compelling ways, I think the pacing just didn't quite work for me.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4290161227

Kendare Blake’s writing is always phenomenal. I would have loved a dual perspective with Marie’s perspective. Other than that, it was great!

I liked this book, but I didn't like how ambiguous the ending and some of the horror/mystery aspects were. I don't like that you are so removed from the action of the all of the murders. I really thought she did a great job with the small town historical feel, but the ending was just unfulfilling. Disappointing because I really loved Anna Dressed in Blood.

4/5⭐ to All These Bodies by Kendare Blake. This is a chilling True Crime YA Thriller set at the end of a string of awful, mysterious murders told through the eyes of Michael, a teen who is the son of the town sheriff and aspires to be a journalist. Tragically, his best friend was one of the last family of victims, but this pushes him even more to use his skills to find the serial killer and stop these murders from happening. What brings even more intrigue is the fact that the only living eyewitness and main suspect is a slight teenage girl Marie Catherine Hale...and the only person she'll tell her story to is Michael. The story and mystery unfolds as Marie recounts her story bit by bit, and this is definitely kept me glued to the pages. Plus, the story that Marie tells is so unbelievable, she either has to be crazy or lying. I really had to know what really happened, especially to the poor Carlson family. I really liked how the story was told from Michael's perspective -- a very strong writing choice -- but also the dynamics between Marie and Michael. I don't want to say much more for fear of spoiling this book but if you're looking for a YA thriller with some true crime and supernatural vibes I'd highly recommend this one!

I really didn’t know what to expect going into All These Bodies, but I’m happy to say I enjoyed it!

We’re following our main character, Michael, who is the town sheriff’s son. There’s a string of serial murders, also know as ‘the bloodless murders,’ that end up in their small town of Black Deer Falls. Up until this point, there’s not been a lead, a witness, anything regarding the identity of the murderers, however that changes at the beginning of our novel. The only person ever found at a crime scene, a 15 year-old named Marie Catherine Hale, decides she wants to tell her narrative concerning the murders, but only if it’s Michael (our MC) who takes it down. We get many creepy moments, some (maybe) speculative elements, and twists you won’t see coming.

I felt like this was such a compulsively readable book, I flew through it. Although, I found the story to be captivating and unputdownable, I can immediately see this book won’t be for everyone. Simple reason being; the ending. The conclusion to the story was definitely a bit abrupt and left the reader with many unanswered questions.
All things considered, I thought it was a gripping, suspenseful story and I’m excited for more Kendare Blake books.

*thank you NetGalley for the ARC and all opinions are my own*

Small town USA in 1958 is gripped with the headlines of “bloodless murders” taking place all over the Midwest. Young Michael, never expected to be the one interviewing the only person ever found at the scene of the crime. Recounting Marie’s story about the murders, while trying to get to the truth proves more difficult than Michael ever thought possible. Part horror, part mystery….how can so many people die and their bodies be drained of blood without leaving a drop?
Suspenseful, and scary at times the author takes readers on a journey into middle America, small town mentality in the late 50s.

I thought this book had an interesting premise and though I typically don’t read mystery/thriller type books I was still excited to pick this one up. I found that the real life stories that these murders were derived from were quite interesting and the way the author incorporated them into this book and wove a story through them was done well. I thought that Michael was a pretty realistic character. I enjoyed following his perspective especially because he was just a teenage boy caught up in a big news worthy story. There were definitely moments while reading I got chills because the description of the killer was mysterious and unprecedented. (a great Fall read!)

With all that being said, I think the pacing of the book for me was just a bit slow. I wasn’t fully invested and gripped by the book. The emotions of the characters weren’t palpable for me. Especially by the time I got to the end I wasn’t sure if the ending was meant to be open-ended, but it wasn’t really satisfying.

As I mentioned, I don’t read a lot of YA mystery/thriller books so I know so many people who would enjoy this book for its unique take on vampire stories and real life murder mysteries. I would still recommend everyone pick it up and give it a shot, you might be surprised and really enjoy it!

Characters: 6/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Writing Style: 6/10
Plot: 6/10
Intrigue: 6/10
Logic: 6/10
Enjoyment: 6/10

Rating: 6.0 or 3 stars

I LOVE all things Kendare Blake. Her writing is superb, her plots are always intriguing and her characters are engaging, if not loveable.

That said - this book was weird! All These Bodies begins like a police procedural, told from the POV of the sheriff's son. However, about halfway through the book, you realize that something else is going on entirely. It gave me feelings of X-Files and Roswell but with bloodsuckers.

This was the first Blake book that I struggled to finish, but I pushed through and was mostly glad I did. The ending was far from satisfying, but the twists continued to puzzle me, even weeks after I'd finished the book.

I recommend this to those who enjoy twisty, turny and open ended books.

A solid recommendation for the true-crime loving teen, with a historical setting and inspired by actual historical murders. Michael Jensen, the sheriff’s son, is a young man in 1958 who dreams of becoming a reporter, and gets the Truman Capote type interview of a lifetime with a young woman accused of being a serial killer (or at least an accomplice). Marie is beautiful, young, intelligent, and possibly manipulative, making Michael do anything she says in the search for the truth. I was prepared for an ambiguous ending, but this one left me unsatisfied, like there were way too many unanswered questions. But the idea that victims, especially female victims of abuse and manipulation are more than just victims, that Marie was underestimated in so many ways was intriguing and will provoke much discussion.

Set in the '50s, a midwest family is murdered and the only witness is drenched in blood, but none of it her own. The premise of a murdered family and a girl that has secrets is always a delicious one. Playing off the fear of appearances can be deceiving. Where you would expect a slow-burn thriller with all the twists and turns of a mystery, you get nothing. I felt the book focused more on the interactions of the two main characters getting to know each other than the actual murders. Everything seemed so dry and short-lived.

I thought this book was very well-written, and well-paced. Kendare Blake is a versatile author, and this story really displays that. We never get to find out the answer to the true mystery at the heart of the novel, but clues along the way keep you reading anyway. I'd recommend this one for mood, atmosphere, and the writing.