A House with Good Bones

"...splendidly performed by Mary Robinette Kowal." - AudioFile Magazine

"Narrator Mary Robinette Kowal wonderfully conveys the wryly funny prose and the creeping horror of the story. Giving each character a distinct voice, Kowal deftly and consistently moves between them and superbly renders Sam's voice."- Library Journal

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"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.


Also by T. Kingfisher
Nettle & Bone
What Moves the Dead

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

1141344167
A House with Good Bones

"...splendidly performed by Mary Robinette Kowal." - AudioFile Magazine

"Narrator Mary Robinette Kowal wonderfully conveys the wryly funny prose and the creeping horror of the story. Giving each character a distinct voice, Kowal deftly and consistently moves between them and superbly renders Sam's voice."- Library Journal

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"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.


Also by T. Kingfisher
Nettle & Bone
What Moves the Dead

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

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A House with Good Bones

A House with Good Bones

by T. Kingfisher

Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal

Unabridged — 6 hours, 53 minutes

A House with Good Bones

A House with Good Bones

by T. Kingfisher

Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal

Unabridged — 6 hours, 53 minutes

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Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

T. Kingfisher’s writing combines dread, horror, and visceral experiences that make your skin crawl. If you’ve heard the B&N Poured Over episode with Kingfisher, you will understand that she is someone who is ecstatic about being a writer and understands our desires as readers.

"...splendidly performed by Mary Robinette Kowal." - AudioFile Magazine

"Narrator Mary Robinette Kowal wonderfully conveys the wryly funny prose and the creeping horror of the story. Giving each character a distinct voice, Kowal deftly and consistently moves between them and superbly renders Sam's voice."- Library Journal

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"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.


Also by T. Kingfisher
Nettle & Bone
What Moves the Dead

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.


Editorial Reviews

MAY 2023 - AudioFile

Sam is summoned home to check on her mother in this Southern Gothic tale, splendidly performed by Mary Robinette Kowal. Sam is surprised at the distinct change in her mother, who is exhibiting weight loss and an unusual manner. Equally surprising is the restoration of the family home to appear as it did when Gran Mae ruled the roost. Using a Southern accent sparingly, Kowal presents Sam as perky and self-assured, though baffled by the mysterious events that are unfolding. When Sam sees a hand poking out of the ground in a photo, Kowal ratchets up the tension, maintaining it through the final showdown between Sam, her mother, and the family's past. S.D.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 12/12/2022

Hugo and Nebula Award winner Kingfisher (What Moves the Dead) goes Southern gothic (Waffle House visits included) in this hilarious and gruesome contemporary horror novel. After archaeoentomologist Sam Montgomery’s dig gets put on hold, she drives to her deceased grandmother’s house in rural North Carolina to spend some time with her mom. The vulture waiting for her on the mailbox doesn’t seem like a good omen, nor does the strange absence of insect life; her mother’s anxious, odd behavior; or Sam’s new, mysterious bouts of sleep paralysis. Sam digs into her family history in the hopes of discovering medical information and scientific explanations for the weirdness—but instead she finds deeply buried horrors that are out to destroy Sam; her mother; her grandmother’s rival, wildlife rehabilitator Gail; and even the local handyman, Phil. Sam makes a charmingly kooky narrator, and Kingfisher remains the best in the business at using horror and fantasy to explore abusive relationships and how to escape them. Horror fans who like a little whimsy on the way to a chilling climax won’t want to miss this. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

T. Kingfisher's A House with Good Bones is (a) funny, (b) scary, and (c) charming. You will gulp this book down like sweet tea on a hot day.”—Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series

"A House With Good Bones grapples with a thorny family legacy with heart, wit, and creeping horror. I was compelled to read the book in one breathless, white-knuckled sitting. Vultures, ladybugs, and underground children, oh my!"—Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts

"An eerie Southern gothic that still has Kingfisher's trademark humor."—Buzzfeed

"Impressively weird, nerve-wracking but still laugh-out-loud funny, A House With Good Bones is another horror hit from T. Kingfisher."—BookPage, STARRED review

Wickedly witty and intensely scary, A House With Good Bones is a thoroughly modern take on the Southern Gothic, about thorny family secrets that refuse to stay buried. You'll be feverishly turning the pages, so engrossed you won't notice the vultures circling overhead. . .”—Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle

"This magical book somehow manages to be laugh-out-loud funny and completely terrifying at the same time—and I could not put it down! It's immersive and entertaining, and the cleverly imaginative storytelling mixed with an oh-so-memorable voice will have you racing through the pages. I absolutely loved this!"—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest

"Kingfisher goes Southern gothic (Waffle House visits included) in this hilarious and gruesome contemporary horror novel. Horror fans who like a little whimsy on the way to a chilling climax won’t want to miss this."—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"T. Kingfisher has mastered her own special blend of horror and snarky mundanity, wherein the not-so-dearly departed demand half-frozen ham, terrifying abominations hunger for blood, and the vacuum is full of ladybugs. A creepshow in taupe, with extra vultures. I loved it."—Travis Baldree, New York Times bestselling author of Legends & Lattes

A House With Good Bones is a dark, eerie fantasy that creeps through your skull and covers your brain like rose vines, tightening with every strange reveal. Despite the looming dread, T. Kingfisher weaves incredible wit and humor through every passage, crafting a tale of mystery and horror well worth sinking into."—Chuck Tingle, author of Camp Damascus

"Highly recommended for lovers of Southern gothics, readers who like their horror to sneak up on them, and anyone who appreciates the voice of Kingfisher, no matter what genre she’s currently writing.”—Library Journal, STARRED review

"A House With Good Bones had me nodding and laughing in recognition at the family dynamics and eccentric Southern neighborhood and then full-out shrieking at the bugs and buried secrets. No one blends humor and creeping dread as satisfyingly as T. Kingfisher."—Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds

“T. Kingfisher continues to establish herself as one of the freshest voices in horror! Samantha grounds this story in a normalcy that is so approachable and understandable that it only heightens the horror. You’ll be reading underneath a blanket with a flashlight!"—Katee Robert, New York Times bestselling author

“T. Kingfisher brings her trademark brand of humor and suspense to A House with Good Bones. . . . Quirky side characters, drily humorous narration and a ghoulish, gruesome climax should entertain horror and fantasy fans.”—Shelf Awareness, STARRED review

"For fans of stories that take the haunted-house trope and overlay occult themes with generational trauma, like The Good House, by Tananarive Due and How To Sell a Haunted House, by Grady Hendrix.”—Booklist

Library Journal

★ 02/01/2023

Thirtysomething Sam Montgomery is worried about her mother. Living in the family home she inherited, her mom is erasing her own personality in favor of her abusive mother's—who is dead but apparently not gone. Desperate to determine whether her mom is suffering from delayed grief or early-onset Alzheimer's, Sam digs into the family's long-buried history, only to discover that her grandfather was an infamous sorcerer whose "sins of the father" are still being visited upon his descendants. Their house not only has good bones, it has strong teeth that are keeping out the stuff of nightmares. Told in the dry, sarcastic voice of wryly academic Sam, this starts out as a portrait of a dysfunctional family in a rational world. But readers are sucked into Sam's fears as that veneer of normalcy is broken down piece by piece, until the vultures are literally circling the house and the past unburies itself. VERDICT Highly recommended for lovers of Southern gothics, readers who like their horror to sneak up on them, and anyone who appreciates the voice of Kingfisher (What Moves the Dead), no matter what genre she's currently writing.—Marlene Harris

MAY 2023 - AudioFile

Sam is summoned home to check on her mother in this Southern Gothic tale, splendidly performed by Mary Robinette Kowal. Sam is surprised at the distinct change in her mother, who is exhibiting weight loss and an unusual manner. Equally surprising is the restoration of the family home to appear as it did when Gran Mae ruled the roost. Using a Southern accent sparingly, Kowal presents Sam as perky and self-assured, though baffled by the mysterious events that are unfolding. When Sam sees a hand poking out of the ground in a photo, Kowal ratchets up the tension, maintaining it through the final showdown between Sam, her mother, and the family's past. S.D.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940174852204
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication date: 03/28/2023
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 509,722
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