I absolutely love this one. T. Kingfisher does it again. Another creepy story that sneaks up on you and starts from the very first page. I could not put it down!

I was immediately in love with the narrator of this book! Her descriptions of new neighborhoods in rural areas was so spot-on. And that was just the beginning of hilarious phrases I made note of while reading! I wish the book had been a little bit longer. The first half was so eerie and atmospheric that the action in the second half felt a bit rushed. I feel like the horror of the scenes could have been extended and that a little bit more of the characters’ feelings in the aftermath of all the events would have been good to include. I do recommend the book for people who enjoy supernatural stories that take place in the South and have hilariously snarky narrators. I think it could be appropriate for a YA audience and up.

T. Kingfisher has become a powerhouse of the horror genre and A House With Good Bones proves why. A sneakily creepy and terrifying tale that will have you checking your locks twice, you won't want to miss this one.

This book is basically the embodiment of that cringy self deprecating humor that was popular in like the 2010s. (think Jennifer Lawrence and when she went to every interview talking about pizza). The way we are hit over the head with this relentless quirky unfunny humor makes this reading experience insufferable. On top of that, the storyline was nonsensical. Something about flowers and a hand in a photograph. The characters were not compelling at all. The internal monologue of the MC was annoying. She thinks she’s really smart and logical and tries to display this way of thinking when lukewarm bizarre things start happening in her mother’s house but this “logical” way of rationalizing things in her internal monologue quickly just became her going in circles in her head and became really redundant to read about. Poor writing, poor execution, and poor character work.

This was so weird in the best way possible. T Kingfisher has formula and I think it really works for her. This went completely off the rails and I loved it.

A House with Good Bones is another fantastically creepy, highly readable book by an author who knows how to tell a great story!

There’s so much to love here. Southern Gothic vibe. Highly intelligent and rational main character (she has a Ph.D. in entomology!) thrust into a decidedly odd situation. Family secrets and a dark past. Childhood nightmares and memories that might not be what they seem. All of these ingredients, and more, woven into a tightly constructed, tense, yet weirdly enjoyable narrative with no wasted space or filler. No wonder I read this in a day!

The ending is great, with a big dramatic climax, a satisfying resolution, and just a little hint of lingering menace keeping it from feeling too sunshine-y and neatly wrapped up. Even though I was very creeped out at times, I had so much fun reading this book, and recommend it wholeheartedly.

T​hank you Macmillan-Tor​/Forge and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. I LOVE T. Kingfisher and was so excited to read another book by her. My favorite book by her is What Moves the Dead, but this is a close second. I will read any book she publishes. I enjoy her dark humor, writing style, descriptions, world-building, and characters. A House With Good Bones is a horror, gothic, paranormal mystery. Kingfisher is a writing chameleon. She can write in any genre, though the horror/mysteries are my favorites.

Sam is my favorite character in this story, which doesn't always happen with main characters. Kingfisher writes strong main characters, though I love all of the characters in this story, and love to hate one of them. Sam is a relatable and wonderful character to follow. She is kind, intelligent, and digs for the truth of what is going on with her mom and her mom's house. The world-building is great, I felt like I was there with Sam, Edith, the vultures, and the other characters. I like how everything unfolded slowly over time. The book has some creepy scenes along with some dark humor and I loved it. If you enjoy horror, gothic, mystery, thrillers, and/or paranormal books, you should definitely pick this one up.

​Book ​S​ummary:
​"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.

256 pages, Hardcover
​Pages: 256​
​Genres: Horror, gothic, mystery, paranormal, thriller​
​Published date: ​3/28/23​
​Stars:​ 5 out of 5

4.5*

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES, by T. Kingfisher deals with a very unique type of haunted house. Samantha, an entomologist, is on furlough from an archeological dig. She decides with the unexpected downtime to visit her mother, Edith--who resides in the home left to her by her deceased mother. A house that Sam knows well, as her family moved in there for years following her father's untimely death, while Gran Mae was still alive.

The suburb is the definition of "normal", until you get to the vulture perching on her mother's mailbox.... Once inside, Sam notices that her brother's warning "Mom seems off. . . . is very accurate. The once self assured woman is now an anxious wreck, constantly looking over her shoulder, forgetting things, and has lost quite a bit of weight--in an unhealthy looking way. Gone are the bright colors and changes that she had once made to the house, and back are the bland wall colors and hateful photos that her Gran Mae had previously decorated with.

One of the things I love about Kingfisher's books is the fact that she uses everyday people as characters, and changes events to make the story. These are characters that you can relate to, because they feel real. There are no stereotyped "damsels in distress" here, but a daughter that is concerned about the changes in her mother, looking for logical reasons before facing the illogical.

". . .Mailbox Vulture was now just part of the yard, like a particularly goth lawn sculpture. Gran Mae would have considered that very not-classy . . . "

Besides the vulture--who belongs to a woman that houses a tree of them--there's something about the wall of Roses her Gram poured her soul into. Even their lawn care man, Phil, claims to know nothing of how they thrive without the attention they once had.

". . . The bird did not reply. Mind you, I'm not sure what I would have done if it had."

Sam takes to uncovering her family's past--a past that is much more scandalous than she would have ever expected.

". . .I have to admit that it wasn't much of a leap . . . If you had to pick a warlock out of a lineup, you'd point at that guy every time . . ."

When things ramp up, they REALLY get going. What begins as a seemingly haunted house, evolves into something much more convoluted than I had ever imagined. I absolutely loved the way Kingfisher builds all of this up--with the characters' personalities already in place--and manages to make the shift believable in the context of the story.

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

Highly recommended!

Captivating, very creepy, AND comical, A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES is entertaining as hell. The story snags you fast, but beware- this family's Family Tree has thorny branches and twisted roots: digging into the dirt beneath will only unleash the many horrors hidden there.

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) is entering the world today! Happy Pub Day!🌟

This author has been really pumping out the glorious, the ghoulish, and the grim these days and this novel is no exception. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @tornightfire for the e-ARC.

When Sam Montgomery gets a call from her brother complaining about their mother acting strange, Sam takes it upon herself to arrange an extended stay at her childhood home. Except when she arrives, her mother's normal maximalist clutter has been replaced with sterile white walls and god-fearing memorabilia from her grandmother's days of living in this same house. Sam's mom seems to be looking over her shoulder at every turn and jumps at every noise. After seeing a wake of vultures staring down at the house and finding a jar of teeth hidden under her grandmother's prize rose garden, Sam starts to think maybe more is going on than she first surmised...

This book is more spooky and spine tingly than scary until the end where it gets a bit wild. I was not expecting the outcome but I loved it. What a unique story - not quite haunted house, vaguely witchy, full of history and research and conjures up a whole lot of creepy crawly feelings. This book is also wildly witty and hilarious at times.

This is a hair raising, smart, southern gothic that melds the ordinary with the extraordinary to create a tale of generational hate and hubris along with a cautionary tale of being sucked into both in the modern world.

Any of you ever have that conservative and overly staid relative who’s covertly racist that you really wish you didn’t have to spend time with? When they pass away, you’re relieved in that guilty sort of way, but what’s done is done, right? Right?

Well, what if there’s a creeping sense they aren’t entirely gone? Not like they’re a ghost, but more like their very spirit lives and breathes in the very bones of the house they lived in? What if your own mom is deliberately and obviously acting over the top, performing like your dead grandmother is still around, watch her every movement?

And then try to reconcile the creepy, weird, and downright WTF incidents that are happening in the house that once belonged to your mean and old-fashioned grandmother with your empirical science-trained brain. Surely there has to be a rational explanation for what’s going on. Surely there has to be a thesis that can be proven by scientific method for the events going around you. Things like this don’t just happen without some sort of explanation.

And then you do some research, and there are possible explanations, but the explanations you find just don’t jive with your academic brain. Square block, round hole. All of a sudden, both nothing and everything seem to make sense at the same time, and you don’t know which way is up.

A House with Good Bones is a solid ghost story, horror tale, and paranormal fantasy (heavier on the paranormal than the fantasy) held together with a solid line of suspense and a decent dose of occultism (and I do mean a decent dose that leads to some seriously creepy stuff that leads to some of the best scenes in the book). The suspense is a mix of paranoia, the reliving of childhood fears and traumas, sleep paralysis and nightmares, and digging into family secrets that result in answers that would make anyone creeped out if it were their family.

This book is also a decent study in the dichotomies of familial generations. An old-fashioned grandmother who lived her life like it was a 1950s TV show (just throw in some magic, racism, and child abuse and you’re golden), compared with her granddaughter, who lives a completely different life and loves it: doesn’t want kids, doesn’t think she ever wants to get married, is devoted to her career in academia, doesn’t care if she’s fat, loves insects more than most people, and would gladly spend all day in the dirt if she could. These are two women who are related and are unlikely to ever get along for any reason at all. They never got along even when her grandmother was alive. It’s specifically knowing what would anger her grandmother the most that gives our protagonist ways to distract, redirect, and upset the spirit of her grandmother, much like a teenager would use the same knowledge to deliberately hurt their parents.

I often have mixed feelings about Kingfisher’s books, and this book is no exception. The first half drags quite a bit. The second half is awesome and a horror-fueled nightmare, but the first half is just a touch slow, in my opinion. I did enjoy the read though, so I wouldn’t count it out.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All views, thoughts, opinions, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Horror/Ghost Story/Suspense Thriller/Paranormal Fantasy/Occult Horror

Oh, T. Kingfisher. You GEM of a human.

"Creepy is for old Gothic mansions and run-down cabins out in the woods, not cookie-cutter houses in the middle of subdivisions."

Except in THIS book, apparently. Kingfisher manages to bring unnerving and eerie horror of the mundane and isolation to this tiny southern neighborhood. It's the little things; no insects in the garden, vultures watching the home, no cell signal or ability to call for help, things going missing, and everything being a little too quiet. The most horrific thing of all: old racist white people and toxic family members. Most of these things can probably be explained away, but it's just odd. Everything is just a little unsettling. I like VERY specific type of horror mingled with humor and Kingfisher is the best at writing it. Her wit and dry humor are a perfect match for me. Her humor puts the reader at ease and suddenly something horrifying happens and you're aghast because you might have forgotten that it was a horror book.

And, what's more - this book has a nerdy scientist and a wildlife rehabilitator in it. As the kind of person who saved worms on the road when it was raining as a kid, I quite identified with the main character entomologist. Also yay for plus-sized main characters! The characters are all likable (I want to be friends with them all) and the story is enjoyable.

Quirky, unsettling, and funny. Kingfisher is amazing at crafting all three.

💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚

A House with Good Bones is the most recent release from T. Kingfisher, one of my favorite authors. With this being said, it's probably unsurprising that this is by far one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. Happily, this peculiar Southern Gothic tale didn't disappoint for one single second. I loved it from the first sentence.

When Sam's brother calls her, expressing concern about their Mom's health and state-of-mind, Sam figures it couldn't come at a better time. With her archaeological dig site temporarily shut down, there's no time like the present to travel home to North Carolina for a visit.

It's been a while. She loves her Mom. Why not go stay with her and see what she can see. If her brother is right, Sam wants to be able to help. Once back in her childhood home, Sam can feel it. Something is off. It's not just the changes that Mom has made to the house, she's acting different. It's slight things, but they definitely don't go unnoticed. Sam senses her Mom is afraid of something, but what?

The mystery is deep enough that Sam is compelled to get to the bottom of it. There's no way she'll be able to leave her Mom like this. Further, Sam is prepared to kick the butt of whoever is the cause of her Mom's secret distress. Digging into it, however, requires digging into her own past and the past of her family. You never know what you're gonna find when you start digging.

That Sam knows is true. She's an archaeo-entomologist after all, but even she didn't expect the Mason Jar full of human teeth buried under the rose bushes...

With help from some new friends, Sam gets elbows deep in her sordid family history and tries her best to rid her mother and their property from its long shadow.

Y'all, this was such an intriguing and engaging story. At this point, reading a T. Kingfisher for me is like story-time with an old friend. Her writing style is so distinct. She's like the Axel Rose of Dark Fiction. You can tell it's her from just a few lines.

I always connect with Kingfisher's main characters. I think it is the sense of humor. It's the way I think and view the world, so it's super easy for me to fall into step with their thought patterns and choices. This main character, Sam, was no exception. I just got her, wow. I loved how on it she was with her Mom. She wasn't willing to look the other way. She didn't look upon her task as a burden. Something was wrong here, her mom had sacrificed so much for her, and gosh darn it, Sam wasn't leaving until she helped her in return.

I appreciate how quirky and unique Kingfisher's side characters are. They contribute so much. In this one, Phil, her Mom's kind-of-cute handyman and Gail, the eccentric neighbor, who owns a one-winged vulture and may-or-may-not be a witch, were stars of the show.

Gail fit nicely into one of my favorite Horror character archetypes. Let's see if I can explain this correctly... The older character, who comes into the orbit of our protagonist and teaches them, or guides them in what they need to know to survive/defeat/overcome the obstacles/issues/horrifying creatures they're dealing with, all whilst providing incredible comic relief.

The atmosphere was fantastic. I loved learning about the house and all the different little things that Sam was noticing. There are some fun scenes with bugs as well. The ending got crazy. It reminded me a little of The Twisted Ones. Not so much in the content, or what happened, but just sort of how it all unfolded leading up to the conclusion. I loved that book and loved this one too.

Also, the audiobook is great. I absolutely recommend it. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The narrator brought this story to life for me!

I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed T. Kingfisher's work in the past, or anyone who enjoys Southern Gothic tales, or stories that bring humor to Horror. Finally, if you are new to T. Kingfisher, I actually think this would be a strong place to start.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had so much fun with this and can't wait to read it again someday!

Are you looking for a book featuring magic, monsters, vultures, family secrets, and creepy grandmothers? Yes? Then you should definitely read the latest horror/fantasy from T. Kingfisher! Thank you Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the eARC. I had a fun time reading T. Kingfisher’s latest book!

Sam Montgomery goes back to her childhood home in North Carolina to check on her mother, who has been acting quite strange lately. There are dark family secrets lurking in the old house on the quiet street. Can Sam uncover the shocking truth before it’s too late?

T. Kingfisher has become an auto-buy author for me. I love her clever writing and immersive storytelling. A House With Good Bones is the perfect blend of horror, fantasy, and humor. I definitely recommend this one! I look forward to Kingfisher’s next book.

This was my first Kingfisher novel and I am going to make sure it’s not my last after how much I enjoyed this one!

The main character of this novel was genuinely funny in a fun and cheeky way and I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her. Who knew I could enjoy getting to know someone so into bugs lol!

While this book was pretty funny and FUN, there were also very real moments of creepiness and ickiness that allowed for the eerie atmosphere the author wanted to create. Not only that, but there were plenty of scenes and conversations surrounding racism and prejudice, making this a truly unique horror experience!

The House With Good Bones is a richly descriptive cozy gothic horror story mixed in with some haunted house, eco and body horror.

—
Sam Montgomery decides to go home to North Carolina for an extended visit, after her brother is concerned that her mom has been ‘off.’ What she finds when she gets there is very unexpected. The walls have been painted a bland color, an old picture is hanging on the wall, and more things have been changed, just like when her Gran Mae lived there years ago.
She finds her mom acting very nervous and Sam isn’t sure what to make of it. Is she developing dementia? Is she mourning her grandmothers passing? What happens in the days to come is mysterious, unnerving and downright disturbing.

“𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦.”

—-

Overall I quite enjoyed this story. It was my second Kingfisher book and I’m looking foreword to reading another! The main animal character was so refreshing 😃. Sam as the main human character was totally charming, humorous, quirky and totally nerdy! I wouldn’t say this was a scary story, but definitely had some creepy und unnerving parts. I definitely had fun reading it 🙌.

T. Kingfisher does it again! After reading and LOVING What Moves the Dead, I was very excited to receive a digital ARC of their newest release.

After her job postpones their excavation, Sam returns to North Carolina and her mother, who is currently living in the home previously owned by Sam's grandmother. Despite the less than stellar memories of her grandmother and that house, Sam hopes to have some bonding time with her mother. However, Sam's brother warns her that their mom has been acting strange lately. She's repainted all the brightly colored walls in shades of eggshell white, hanging up racist artwork, and she seems scared of her own home despite being the only one living there. Things aren't what they seem and soon Sam realizes that there's something going in the house.

I really had no idea what to expect other than it was being described as a Southern Gothic horror. I really enjoy the direction T. Kingfisher is going with their latest books. They've been incorporating a lot more nature elements to their horror. What Moves the Dead was mushroom horror and now we have insect and flower horror with A House With Good Bones. I never thought I would be freaked out by ladybugs but this book definitely had me skeeved out. The imagery towards the climax was amazing when it came to the use of flowers. I can't think of anything I've read recently that's used flowers in that way. Also, I never thought I would like vultures so much until reading this book!

Along with the horror, this book focuses a lot on family trauma. Gran Mae, the grandmother of the family, takes old crazy southern lady to a whole new level. Her impact on Sam and her mother continues on even though she's been dead for thirty years. I really enjoyed Sam as a character. She was very quirky and likable. A topic that is discussed frequently in Sam's life is her weight and she really handles her family's commentary on it with stride. I appreciate that her weight was never made into a joke. She's a character I was really rooting for throughout the story. The build up with her and family led to a great ending overall.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I only wish there were MORE horror elements to it. While some parts were definitely pretty creepy, I never got a lot of tense or horrifying moments while reading this. I understand that Southern Gothic usually doesn't involve a lot of graphic or over the top gore. However, I know T. Kingfisher's work and they definitely could have gone harder with this. That being said, this would be a great book for someone just.starting to get into horror who doesn't want anything super graphic!

Once again, thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightmare for the digital ARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this read. It was funny, engaging, and terrifying. It was a really interesting look at how generational trauma can literally and figuratively tear a family apart. T. Kingfisher has been a favorite of mine since Nettle and Bone, but this cemented her as an instant buy for me. I have a deep appreciation for her ability to create believable relationships between families, strangers, and would be lovers. This work expertly wove in Sam's experience and skepticism and then broke it down in a way that felt believable. It wasn't a cheesy horror movie trope where the scientist daughter moves back and denies everything her mom tells her... she denies a little, but ultimately chooses to believe and help her mom.

Also, I loved the dedication. God tier humor and I'm still chuckling about it.

The nitty-gritty: T. Kingfisher mashes together Southern gothic creepiness, a cast of unforgettable characters, and plenty of humor in A House With Good Bones, a thoroughly entertaining haunted house story.

A new T. Kingfisher story is always a delight to read. Readers who loved The Twisted Ones, The Hollow Places or What Moves the Dead will also find a lot to love about Kingfisher's latest. You know what you’re getting when you pick up one of her books—a smart, quirky female lead, a creepy family history of some sort, a possible love interest, laugh-out loud funny sections and terrifyingly weird scenes sprinkled in among the humor. I laughed and screamed practically in the same breath, and if that sounds like fun to you, then this is a must read.

Samantha Montgomery is a thirty-two year old, socially awkward archaeoentomologist who decides to visit her mother in rural North Carolina after an unsettling conversation with her brother Brad. Brad thinks something is "off” with Edie, so Sam decides it’s as good a time as any to check on her, especially since the dig she was working on was put on hold. Admittedly, Sam is a little hesitant to return to the house where she and her mother once lived with her stern, religious grandmother, but she’ll do anything to make sure her mom is OK. When she arrives at the house on Lammergeier Lane, she’s immediately struck by how different everything is. Not only does her mother look thin and anxious, but the once colorful walls of the house have been painted a depressing eggshell white, and outside a vulture perches on the mailbox. A horrifying Confederate painting hangs over the fireplace (a painting that once belonged to her racist grandmother), and strangest of all, Edie’s beautiful rose garden doesn’t have a single insect—which Sam knows is impossible.

When Sam starts having vivid nightmares and bouts of dream paralysis that involve her dead grandmother, she decides to consult Gail, a neighbor who is rehabilitating a flock of vultures. Gail admits that something strange is going on at Edie’s house, but it will take Sam digging into her mysterious great-grandfather’s past before all the pieces start to come together. With the help of Phil, a cute handyman, Gail and Edie, Sam is determined to uncover the truth behind the weird happenings in her mother's house.

This is a haunted house story, but it’s not what you think. Kingfisher puts her own weird spin on that subgenre and takes her story in a much different direction than I was expecting, and boy was it fun! I don’t think anyone does the humor/horror combo the way Kingfisher does, she’s simply brilliant at making you laugh one minute and break out in goosebumps the next. There are some standard haunted house occurrences in the beginning, like objects falling off walls by themselves and strange noises, but later on the author introduces a very disturbing element involving a story than mean ol’ Gran Mae used to tell Sam and Brad when they were kids in order to make them behave. There’s even a subplot about witches and wizards, and I especially loved Edie’s rose garden, a group of thirteen rosebushes that are, um, out for blood. And let’s not forget the vultures, another unsettling element that makes you wonder what the heck is going on in that house. The story is packed with all kinds of things that don’t seem like they belong together, yet Kingfisher assuredly wrangles everything into a cohesive story.

Kingfisher’s characters leap off the page. Sam’s first person voice is light and breezy, as if she’s simply talking to a friend. And she’s funny. I spent a great deal of time laughing out loud at Sam’s observations of the world around her. Her job is to study insects at archeological sites, a career I didn’t even know existed! Leave it to Kingfisher to come up with something bizarre like that. Sam wants to believe there’s a rational explanation for all the weird things that are happening in the house, but eventually she has to admit that science can’t explain everything, and that’s a hard pill for her to swallow.

Gran Mae is the perfect villain, a racist Southern white woman too set in her ways to change. Sam recounts some of the awful things she did to her as a child, and it was nearly impossible to feel anything but disgust for her. But the author has a way of giving the most heinous of her characters a relatable, human side, and somehow she did just that with Gran Mae.

The last few chapters go to some very dark places, but almost in an absurd way, if that makes any sense. I did think the ending was rather abrupt, but I liked the way it ended too. I think readers are going to love A House With Good Bones, and if you’re a T. Kingfisher newbie, this would be a great place to start.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

A House With Good Bones is a fantastic southern Gothic. I appreciate how T. Kingfisher never writes the same stories twice yet the common thread I’ve found in all of them is the way she manages to get under my skin. This story is unique as much as it is strange. I loved the quirkiness of the small, Southern town combined with the unsettling atmosphere of Sam Montgomery’s childhood home. Oh, and that mysterious garden! I was invested from the first page. Some of the best scenes were of Sam and her mother watching murder mystery shows and drinking boxed wine together. A House With Good Bones is a charming haunted house mystery. T. Kingfisher continues to deliver with her latest installment.