Many thanks to my friends at @tornightfire and @macmillan.audio

 

Southern gothic horror but make it equal parts creepy and laugh-out-loud funny.  

 

This is my third read by Kingfisher, and it’s safe to say that where ever she leads I will follow. 

 

Apparently, that now includes a house haunted by ancestral secrets and guarded by vultures.  Open up the boxed wine.  I’m in. 

 

“Mom seems off.”  On furlough, Sam returns to her childhood home and realizes her brother wasn’t exaggerating.  But her mom isn’t the only thing that’s worrisome.  Among the variety of noticeably unsettling household modifications, there’s now a vulture perched on the mailbox.    

 

Ever the scientist, Sam tries to make sense of what’s going on.  But as she unearths long-held family secrets, dark magic, and generational curses, it becomes obvious that logic won’t get to the bottom of this.   

 

Disturbing yet highly entertaining, I found myself completely engaged in this bizarre storyline, and by the end I started to ponder the benefits of a vulture for a pet.  If that isn’t an endorsement for a southern gothic horror story, I don’t know what is.  

 

Sam won me over from the beginning.  Between her penchant for old British detective shows and her love of bugs (she’s an archaeoentomologist), she felt both relatable and oddly loveable.  She’s my favorite kind of heroine: smart, witty, fierce.  And her droll inner dialogue made for a compelling narration.  

 

But…  it was Gail, the eccentric (witchy?) vulture owning neighbor that I constantly wanted more of!  She was elusive and unconventional, and I know there’s a wealth of secrets within her walls.  A potential spin-off novella???  One can wish. 

 

I don’t typically think of southern gothic humor as being comical.  And yet, Kingfisher has created a read that is both intense and laugh-out-loud funny at times.  With hilarity deftly woven throughout and playing such a key role, I found this to be a much more accessible horror-lite read.  

 

🎧 Never wanting to set my book aside, I utilized the audiobook while on-the-go.  And while I enjoyed the narrator’s depiction for most characters, I found the execution for Phil to be a bit cringy and almost comical.  If you’re on the go, definitely utilize the audiobook.  But if you’re able, I’d recommend the print version.