Alanna’s Review of “All These Bodies” by Kendare Blake
Review by Alanna
November 29, 2021
All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
In her newly-released book All These Bodies, New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake creates both an unusual story and a masterful example of turning true events into fiction adaptations. In the summer of 1958, a murderous spree made headlines as it swept across three midwest states, leaving a trail of sixteen lifeless bodies and thousands of terrorized people in its wake. Loosely paralleling the grisly murders of teenage serial killer Charlie Starkweather and his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate, Blake effectively delivers true crime and urban legend in one YA thriller.
In All These Bodies, first person narrator, Michael Jensen, a teenager and aspiring journalist, is itching to break free of his small town. Yet, as the local sheriff’s son leading the investigation of the final morbid murder scene in their hometown, Michael could not have predicted a more intriguing journalistic opportunity. Until this scene, the killer’s modus operandi of draining the blood of each victim and leaving spotless crime scenes remained eerily consistent throughout the run of terror. Now, a twist; a person left alive at the scene, drenched in blood. Fifteen-year-old Marie Catherine Hale, initially presumed innocent survivor, quickly turned suspect. Untrusting of adults, Marie will only tell her account to Michael, but what is he to think when a month-and-a-half long crime spree culminates in a rural town with the sole suspect weaving a bizarre tale of an absentee vampiric killer?
Kendare Blake successfully transformed this real-life event into an intriguing work of fiction. Although I found the supernatural component of the story to be a little far-fetched, overall, All These Bodies was a very imaginative read, at times slow moving, with a surprisingly abrupt conclusion.
YA fiction, All These Bodies, Kendare Blake, True Crime, Murder, Teen Book Review, Serial Killer, Urban Legends