12 must-read September YA releases to pair with your PSL
By Lacy Baugher
September 2021 release: All These Bodies – Kendare Blake
The latest novel from bestselling author Kendare Blake is quite a bit different from her last series. Three Dark Crowns was a twisty, uncomfortably dark fantasy series, whereas her newest contemporary story, All These Bodies, is based all too firmly in the real world.
Centering around an inexplicable spree of murders, All These Bodies is the tale of two people: Michael Jensen, the son of a local sheriff whose lifelong yearning to be a journalist has him determined to figure out what happened, and Mary Catherine Hale, a young girl found at the most recent crime scene, covered in the victims’ blood.
When Marie decides Michael is the only person she’s willing to talk to about what happened the night the local family the Carlsons was killed, she spins a dark tale of unbelievable things and it’s up to him to find the truth.
The official synopsis describes the story as follows.
Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation.
"Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere. September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers. Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to. As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?"
All These Bodies is available on September 21.