A House with Good Bones

By: T. Kingfisher

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

2023 Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, Long-listed
2024 Dragon Awards, Short-listed

"...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.

©2023 T. Kingfisher (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“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

“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

Too much cussing.

F and S seem to be the author’s favorite words, and I don’t mean FlowerS. Intriguing and creative story, but I did not need the cussing. It got old.

Cozy with hilarious narration.

If "man" voices distract you, get this book in print. The narrator does 3 of them in this, with the romantic interest's being most laughable. That said, I have heard MUCH worse, and was actually entertained by these.

The story seems obvious at first. Of *course* character X is haunting the house, and the main character doesn't see it. But the how and why of it are worth getting to, so stick with it.

This was my first T Kingfisher novel, and I look forward to more.

Loved it..

Another great story from T. King. Great narration as well. Highly recommend. G g g

100% relatable, equal parts cozy and unsettling

So good! Don’t sleep on this. If you were the smart, solitary, endearingly weird kid, Sam will immediately have your heart. If you have/had a difficult family with a closet of skeletons. These are your people. Somehow both horrifying and cozy. Loved this.

Hilarious and creepy!

Very engaging . A really fun story that I enjoyed immensely. The Sam character was hilarious!!

Always a winner

I’ve read all of T Kingfisher’s other horror novels and loved them. This one is fantastic, gets the South right, and is the right mix of creepy and funny. My only critique was there were some noises in the end that sort of took me out of the story. It’s still a five star read, tho.

Delightfully creepy

As usual T Kingfisher writes an excellent story. Her characters always feel so real its a large part of what I look forward to in her books. The small touches, offhand quips and such are what makes everything so believable. This is a very different type of haunting and the twists in the story were actually unexpected. If you like your horror with a side of snark absolutely pick up this book. Mary Robinette Kowal does a wonderful job of giving voice to the novel I look forward to books she works on.
My favorite Kingfisher horror is The Hollow Places but this one is an easy second. I strongly recommend picking this up.

Good Idea

Good premise for a book but it was a lot of build up, only to be over before you knew it with the bare minimum of answers for the readers.
Cute. Was waiting for more.

Kingfisher is great per usual

Very much a classic Gothic tale, was a comfy ride through the mystery of wtf is going on here.

Spooky read

Another wonderful book by T. Kingfisher! Not as creepy as her others but a solid read.