T. Kingfisher aka Ursula Vernon has entertained and creeped me out with each of the books I’ve read by her; three to date, with A House with Good Bones being the latest. Once again she introduces us to a relatable character, in this case entomologist Samantha who, when her summer dig is cancelled, decides to spend some time with her mom when her brother tells her that something is off with her.

And yes, something does seem to be wrong with mom. She’s repainted, hung some troubling artwork, seems to be praying a lot, no longer swearing and seems to be in a constant state of worry that she’s going to say something that will get her in trouble.

But with who?

Sam starts to worry that maybe her mother is ill, but when the roses in the back garden, in fact the whole yard don’t seem to have any insect life at all, her curiosity is piqued. But she’s definitely not ready for where it will take her, and the horrifying things she’ll learn about her own family, and the foundations on which the family home is built.

This time around, it feels like Kingfisher takes her time building up to the really creepy stuff, which is fine, because I really enjoy the way she writes. There are a lot of laughs to be had, you find yourselves really enjoying the time you spend with the characters, and when things start to go south and get really weird, you find you really care about what happens to them.

I’m not going to go past the creepy vultures that seem to be watching the house, or the variety of rose bushes that sequester the backyard, or the strange behavior of Sam’s mom, I think you should discover those things on your own.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t even read the blurb on this one, I went in completely blind just knowing it was another horror tale from Kingfisher, and when the twists and reveals start to come, I had one reaction: gah!

I got a few more answers from this narrative than I did The Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones (that doesn’t mean I like them any less) but those answers are disturbing and frightening, and possibly leaves you think ‘Gah!’ again.

Her horror novels have been exactly what I wanted, laughs balanced with some really unnerving and frightening moments populated by characters I could relate to, and I want more. I love the way she writes, I love the subject matter she chooses, and the way she evokes the terror of what is happening with her words, fantastic.

Check out any of T. Kingfisher’s horror novels, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.