They just go together like peanut butter and jelly, or underground children and vultures.
Sam Montgomery is on leave from her job and heading to her mother’s house in North Carolina for a visit. Her brother had mentioned that that their mom was acting weird the last time he saw her. As soon as Sam arrives she can see that something is very wrong. Her mother is frightened, jumping at every sound and worried about leaving Sam alone in the house. Her deceased grandmother’s ugly Confederate art is back up on the sterile ecru walls. The rose bushes are thriving even though they seem to be the only things living in the backyard, not a bug in sight. As an archaeoentomologist Sam is used to digging in the dirt for the truth but what exactly is she going to find?
I was hesitant going into this book after being completely traumatized by the last book about haunted houses and moms I read (GFY Pupkin). I should have known Kingfisher wouldn’t do that to me, instead creating a sense of dread that creeps up until it’s choking you like an out of control rosebush. The horror is more spooky than splatty which I appreciate. Sam is a great character and her inner monologue is very funny, I was laughing through my rising panic. I have seen in other reviews that people were mildly frustrated with the pace of the book, feeling it started slowly. I didn’t find that at all, quite the opposite. The book’s events mainly take place over nine days and the book itself was only 300 pages on my e-reader so I thought it was a very quick read. Also although all the clues are pointing at a supernatural source from the beginning, I don’t think anyone is going to go straight to that conclusion as an explanation for an aging loved one’s behavior in less than a week especially a scientist. Overall I really enjoyed this book and have loved all of T. Kingfisher’s work that I’ve read so far.
If you want to know about the underground children and why vultures are awesome you’ll just have to read the book yourself!