Michael Jensen can't help being fascinated by Marie Catherine Hale. Found drenched in blood at the scene of a serial killer's latest murder, Marie is imagined to be the key to finding the killer- certainly it isn't this dainty young girl. She refuses to talk to anyone other than Michael. He sees his interviews with her as a chance to break into journalism and to break out of his hometown.

Kendare Blake is one of my favorite authors. One of my first years as a librarian I had the pleasure of hearing her talk about writing Anna Dressed in Blood and how she packed as many gory deaths as she could imagine into that one book. Since that time I have read her Antigoddess series and the Three Dark Crowns series. I have enjoyed all of them and All These Bodies was no exception! I really enjoyed the conversations between Michael and Marie and the way the mystery unraveled.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of mysteries and thrillers- and to those with a morbid interest in serial killers!

All These Bodies was a very gripping tale. Right away, from the first line, I was hooked, committed to finishing and finding out how the story ended. It has crime and compelling storytelling—I loved the format of the story, Michael Jensen reporting on it, essentially—and Marie was such a captivating character. I liked her, I wanted to like her, and then the ending—finding out the truth, you still root for her. Masterful. The plot was just twisty enough and three dimensional, as it included the town perspective of these crimes so you got a complete picture. Definitely recommend.

I will start by saying that if you like neat tidy endings, this is not the book for you. Kendare Blake is a master of leaving readers wanting more, and this is no exception.

The story of Michael and Marie Catherine Hale is wildly compelling. I was shocked by how fast I got through the book each time I sat down to read. While this is a book I normally would have finished in a single sitting, I specifically chose not to because it made me think and I wanted to sit with it. It isn't heavy on action but the intrigue, the storytelling, the clues, all leave you trying to puzzle out what happened along with Michael.

You cannot help but feel for Michael, Percy, and even Marie. The characters are real people with flaws who are doing their best. The ending is very interesting, and I wouldn't want to spoil it. I will be thinking about this book for a long time and will definitely be rereading once it is released.

One star deducted for Kendare Blake never giving me as much as I want from a story, just enough.

*3.5*
This book is very different to any book I have ever read before, and not in a bad way. All These Bodies follows a case of serial murders dubbed the Bloodless Murders; due to the fact that every body is drained of blood. But then more bodies are found, and in the middle of them stands a living girl, covered in blood that doesn't belong to her.

This book is EXTREMELY plot-centered. It's quite interesting to see considering the fact that the whole book is in first-person POV. I personally prefer at least a little bit of character work, which this book didn't have, but this book still had me hooked.

It gave me the same vibes as a classic, mainly due to the writing. The entire book was quite vague, which I really liked, but at the same time, I didn't like. If you're looking for a contemporary mystery novel, don't get your hopes up. This book revolves around conspiracies and unsolved mysteries.

At the same time, this book had me on my toes. There were so many times where I would just get super creeped out by a line that one of the characters said, or a plot twist that happened. It was well written. It reminds me somewhat of a case file or a transcript from an interrogation, which I feel was intentional.

Overall, this book was good. I didn't get very attached or invested as the characters weren't very developed, but if you're looking for a plot-heavy mystery/horror novel, this book is absolutely for you.

All These Bodies, for me was an ok book. The book was a very slow read I just couldn't sit and read it all so I dnf it.

Thank you Netgalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for allowing me to read this book.

Wow! This book was so easy to read and I could not put it down! I loved the main characters, Michael and Marie. I also loved Percy, Michael's best friend. He always protected Michael. I was so desperate to get to the end to find out what happened. The last chapter was kind of a jaw dropper for me. I really wasn't expecting that! I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a good thriller or mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy!

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.

Kendare Blake's ability to write such an interesting and unique story with characters that you get attached to is unmatched. I was hooked from the first chapter and will be recommending this to others!

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.