Beauty in the Blood: A Novel

by Charlotte Carter

A curse rolls out over centuries, murky and unknowable as swamp waters, shaping and destroying lives.

“Carter delivers. . . . [A] fusion of detective fiction and horror that is impossible to look away from.” —The New York Times Book Review

Sarah Toomey is a successful young black lawyer, lovely but straitlaced– and afraid that she is losing her mind. Since the death of her mother, a force she can neither understand nor control is manipulating her memory and driving her to unexplained acts of violence and destruction. At the same time, Sarah is swept up in a highly charged relationship with a work colleague that portends a danger of its own. As she moves through her privileged life in New York, Sarah comes to learn how her past—her haunted history—is intertwined with America’s.

Yvonne Howard was born into the working class. Now, after years as a prison guard, she has reinvented herself. Her passion for cooking has landed her a position at a trendy soul food restaurant, and she is looking forward to a glamorous career. Then an ex-inmate named Bitty appears, demanding Yvonne’s help investigating her brother’s shocking death. Before long, Bitty too is dead, and Yvonne is pulled back into a world of ugly violence. Smart but unschooled, Yvonne finds herself in the unlikely role of it is she who must unravel the dark and blood-soaked history that not only doomed Bitty and her brother, but also determined beautiful Sarah Toomey’s fate.

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published February 11, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[The Bookish Elf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlotte Carter's latest novel, Beauty in the Blood, is a masterfully crafted supernatural thriller that weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives to tell a story of generational trauma, racial violence, and a centuries-old curse that refuses to die. The novel marks Carter's triumphant return to the mystery genre after her acclaimed Nanette Hayes series, though this time with a decidedly darker, more supernatural edge.

Plot and Narrative Structure

The Modern Timeline

The story primarily follows two women whose lives become inexplicably intertwined. Sarah Toomey, a successful lawyer with ivory-colored skin, finds herself experiencing blackouts and violent urges following her mother's death. Meanwhile, Yvonne Howard, a former prison guard turned chef, investigates the mysterious deaths of two siblings - Bitty Willetts and her brother Crawford. As the narrative unfolds, we discover these seemingly separate threads are connected by a dark supernatural force that stretches back to the Civil War era.

The Historical Timeline

Carter skillfully interweaves a haunting historical narrative set in 1865 Georgia, following a group of escaped slaves led by Preacher Jack Willetts. This subplot provides the horrifying origin of the curse that echoes through generations, culminating in the present-day events. The author's depiction of this period is unflinching in its portrayal of the brutality of slavery while maintaining literary sophistication.

Character Development

Strength in Complexity

The novel's greatest triumph lies in its richly drawn characters, particularly its female protagonists. Sarah Toomey is a fascinating study in duality - outwardly composed and successful, inwardly fracturing. Her descent into violence and memory loss is portrayed with psychological precision that makes the supernatural elements feel eerily plausible.

Yvonne Howard emerges as the moral center of the novel, carrying her own dark past while seeking justice for others. Her transformation from hardened prison guard to passionate chef, and ultimately to amateur detective, feels organic and earned.

Supporting Cast

The secondary characters are equally well-crafted. Jeffrey Bender, Sarah's married lover, provides both romantic tension and tragic inevitability. Bean, Kofi's nephew, offers youth and innocence in contrast to the darkness surrounding him. Each character serves the story while maintaining their own distinct identity and motivation.

Themes and Symbolism

Legacy of Violence

Carter explores how historical violence echoes through generations, particularly within the context of American racial history. The curse that drives the plot becomes a metaphor for the way trauma is inherited and transformed across time.

Identity and Duality

The novel grapples with questions of identity, particularly through Sarah's character. Her light skin and professional success place her between worlds, while her increasingly fractured psyche reflects deeper questions about the nature of self.

Love and Destruction

The romantic elements of the story serve to heighten its tragedy. Whether in the historical timeline or the present day, love becomes both salvation and catalyst for destruction.

Writing Style and Technique

Carter's prose is elegant yet muscular, capable of shifting from lyrical description to brutal violence without losing its rhythm. Her experience as a mystery writer shows in the careful parsing of information, while her venture into supernatural territory reveals new depths to her craftsmanship.

Pacing and Tension

The novel maintains a steady build of tension, with moments of explosive violence punctuating quieter scenes of character development. The parallel timelines are handled deftly, each informing and amplifying the other.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

- Masterful integration of supernatural elements with historical and contemporary narratives
- Complex, well-developed characters who defy easy categorization
- Strong sense of place, from Manhattan's legal offices to Georgia's swamplands
- Thoughtful exploration of racial identity and generational trauma
- Sophisticated handling of violence and its psychological impact

Areas for Improvement

- Some readers might find the supernatural elements challenging to reconcile with the more grounded aspects of the story
- The complex narrative structure occasionally requires careful attention to follow
- Certain plot threads could have been more fully resolved
- The ending might feel abrupt to some readers

Impact and Significance

Beauty in the Blood represents a significant evolution in Carter's work, successfully blending elements of supernatural horror with her established strengths in mystery writing. The novel's exploration of racial violence and generational trauma through a supernatural lens offers fresh perspectives on these crucial themes.

Final Verdict

Beauty in the Blood is a powerful, unsettling novel that succeeds both as a supernatural thriller and as a meditation on America's racial history. While not perfect, its ambition and execution make it a significant achievement in contemporary fiction.

[Books Amongst Friends · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a story. First off, I’m so glad I had both the e-book and the audiobook. The audio is incredible, but if you’re only listening, you really need to pay close attention. This book isn’t just a dual timeline—it spans multiple time periods, some historical, with shifting locations within each. There are moments when it feels like you’re jumping around a lot, but it all weaves into something unforgettable.

At its core, this is a story of generational trauma, historical violence, dark legacies, revenge, and horror. One of my favorite aspects is the way love manifests across each timeline—starting with a mother’s love for her children and the curse she places when they are brutally taken from her. There’s the love of second chances, the love that blinds you to what’s right in front of you, and the love that comes with a sharp bite.

The book’s greatest strength is its character development, especially in its two leading women, Sarah and Yvonne. Both represent something bigger than themselves and are fighting for something beyond their own survival. I loved how Sarah was written—dangerous, ominous, yet powerful and magnetic. But the real standout is Yvonne. She’s peeling back layers, uncovering truths not just for herself, but to help others move forward. She’s also us, navigating the unknown, digging deeper, and slowly realizing the magnitude of what she’s uncovering.

There’s so much to say about this book, and I’ve seen incredible reviews. I highly recommend it. This isn’t just a revenge story—it’s about grief, loss, anger, identity, and the cracks beneath our surfaces, waiting to be revealed. If I could change anything, it would be the ending. I think some readers will find it abrupt or somewhat predictable. But overall, what a ride. By the end, I couldn’t stop thinking about how people say, you can’t avoid your destiny—but this book reminds you that no matter what, you can’t escape your past.

Thanks to Vintage & Netgalley for this read.

[ThatBookish_deviant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

We follow three characters Yvonne and Sarah in the present day, and a group of black men in the 1800’s looking for a safe place. Although the story in the 1800’s is the least fleshed out, in the end we see how all the stories meet up. The book felt slow in the beginning and the only likable character was Yvonne.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been a five, except for the clichéd ending.
(I listened to this. Narration was very good.)
This was an uncomfortable read (a description often reserved for subjects that make white people squirm, and ok, fair, the history of slavery should make anyone uncomfortable, but that's only part of it). It was tense, with a palpable sense of danger and a frustrating feeling of inevitably. You know it's not going to end well, but you really, really hope you're wrong.
Spoilers, you're not wrong.
Sarah was the embodiment of an enslaved woman who was impregnated twice by her enslaver (he believed he was in love with her, but that's besides the point). There was a food shortage, everyone was starving, the guy and their two pale daughters went out fishing and were stumbled upon by some recently freed, also starving people. One of the men had lost his mind. He and one of the young men slaughtered the white guy and his kids, like, full on hatchet murder, chopping them limb from limb. Their mother found them and vowed revenge on the killer's family until every last one was dead. Her spirit or essence or whatever it was passed on to her descendants, and the killings continued over the years.
Sarah killed Coffey, the male lead, but was then killed by a bunch of homeless men on a construction site. We are lead to believe that this concludes the generational curse, but no, the cute waitress Coffey's adoptive brother/ward started dating at the end of the book was actually the embodiment of one of the two dead girls! It ended with her half-joking that when her mild mannered demeanor finally slipped, her volcanic eruption of rage would be epic. Fin.
So yeah, I wasn't a fan of the ending, but it was still a solid novel. Well drawn, believable characters that you genuinely root for, great pacing and construction, and delightfully un-purple prose. (The last book I read was obnoxiously florid, so this was a really nice change of pace.)
Again, excellent novel (except, in my opinion, the bog standard horror trope ending). Give it a try.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeously written book. Here horror is used to explore the echoing layers of trauma as a result of the enslavement of Africans, reverberating from one generation to the next, all the way to the present day. Just because a piece of paper says an enslaved person is free doesn't mean those shackles just fall away. Trauma warps, reforms, destroys - no one escapes unscathed in this narrative.

One thing that was very apparent to me early on in reading was that Charlotte Carter is an AUTHOR. There's such mastery in the writing, every word just so. I read a lot of good books and notice moments of strong writing even in not-so-good books, but Beauty in the Blood was absolutely top-notch. A delight. Thank you to Night Worms for a book I probably wouldn't have discovered otherwise!

[Lya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Abigail Ceremuga · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. The writing felt a little flat and the ending didn't tie up the loose ends in the way that I wanted.

[Neha Thakkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible story with a very abrupt ending. I would have liked a little more closer and more understanding of how the stories tied together.

[Noemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most unsatisfying ending to a book ever.

[KDub · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story mainly focuses on Sarah and Yvonne in New York. Since her mom died, Lawyer Sarah has been having lapses in time where she doesn't remember where she's been or what she did. Yvonne is an ex-prison guard turned baker. A former inmate, Bitty, comes to ask for Yvonne's help in investigating her brother's suspicious death that had been ruled a suicide. Before Yvonne can help much, Bitty is killed as well. There is also a storyline focusing on the south in the Civil War era, uncovering a familial curse.

At first this came on as a slow burn, and generally I'm too impatient for that. There are a lot of time jumps and different storylines, which was losing my focus at first. But once I got into it and the storylines start to converge, I had to know what happened and finished this one in less than a day.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that some of the dialogue felt rather forced and awkward.

Recommended for those who like horror, mysteries, multi-timeline/POVs.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a mystery, and also horror novel, and also meditation on the wounds and traumas inherent to Black American history. I found it compelling and appealing in its confident oddness--Carter tells this magic-realist tale completely straightforwardly, dropping in contemporary resonances of Sally Hemings, 19th-century slaveowners' patterns of sexual exploitation, white fetishism, and internal Black-culture debates about identity. The last are more suggested than fully worked-out--this doesn't dive deeply into its characters as much explore the situation and the historical patterns it recapitulates--but the story drives you along in a compelling way; reminds me of, say, Octavia Butler or Tananarive Due in its registering of historical pain as supernatural. I know her other stuff is much more...secular? realist? But this did make me want to try to figure out if I'd read her mysteries.

[Chelsea Ekstedt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A complex, multi-timeline dive into generational and racial trauma with supernatural elements.

This is a mystery thriller and the build-up between the different characters’ stories and the historical portion was excellent. However, I felt like parts of the story could have been more fully developed. The description that “Sarah comes to learn how her past-her haunted history-is intertwined with America’s” is misleading as the discovery of the curse and its origin happens more in Yvonne’s parts of the story. I didn't leave with the impression that Sarah ever really understood what was happening.

Ultimately, I was left unsatisfied by the ending given to one of the main characters, mostly because it seemed abrupt and left plot threads dangling.

[Bianca Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hooked. It had a very interesting story. Very interesting elements. I think all around it could have been developed more. Some bits felt drawn out by the ending, and it left me wondering why it took so long at all … BUT even with that being said, it was still enjoyable.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style, but I don’t think there was necessarily anything wrong with it. At times it came off a bit wooden and stilted, and I wasn’t sure the characters would have spoken the way they did? But not a big deal. I just mostly wanted to know who was going to die next and why, ha!

Some parts of the story I was left wondering how it all fit in, but I think that’s part of the point because it just gets you thinking about larger themes and how it all goes together.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Pick up this book when you have a day (or more) you can devote totally to reading, because you won't be able to put it down.

You can get the book description from goodreads or Amazon. Know that there are plenty of murders here, gruesome murders, with a lot of blood. There is also beauty and love (even if that doesn't necessarily end well). Carter does give us a very scary "monster", one created by man's evil.

Although the story itself is contemporary, circa 2000, it is rooted in the history, folklore, and pain of enslaved people. If there is a lesson here, it is that, try as those in power might, history cannot be cancelled; it matters today and always.

This book is amazing!

[Dawn-Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thriller with some definite horror elements. There is a lot going on here, jumping from past to present and among different characters, with a lot to think about throughout. The general plot is relatively straightforward, but there are unanswered questions that don't get clarity until near the end. But I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the ending - things got very muddled. I wasn't necessarily expecting all the answers, but the description of what happened with a main character was a very WTH moment. Overall, this wasn't entirely satisfying.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Beauty in the Blood.

The 'curse' in the blurb is what drew my eye and I'm grateful my request was approved.

** Minor non-bloody spoilers ahead but TW include racial and sexual violence, blood and gore **

Sarah Toomey is a successful lawyer who think she's might be going mad.

She has started to lose blocks of time with no memory of where and what she was doing the previous day.

At the same time, her narrative is juxtaposed with Yvonne Howard, a former prison guarded turned chef.

These two very different women will suddenly collide in ways they never could have imagined...and blood will be spilt.

Not surprisingly, I found the curse fascinating, the origins of its history and how it came to be and how it disrupted and caused havoc with Sarah's privileged life engrossing.

I liked Yvonne more than Sarah but her narrative felt more contrived, especially when the men enter her life and how their presence leads back to Sarah.

The appearances of the men felt too convenient and pat.

I don't believe in coincidence, not in books and not in real life.

The author delves into themes of class, race, and generational violence and how it permeates future generations and the way we perceive ourselves and those around us.

This was a disturbing read, particularly the ending, but perhaps that's the point.

It makes the reader uncomfortable and makes you think of subjects we should be talking and discussing in more depth.

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This phenomenal look at generational trauma, evil, and how sometimes love is not enough is propelled by a thrilling plot. The dialogue is rendered faithfully to how people actually speak, something that reminded me of Denise Mina. This added a lot of authenticity and heart to an already intriguing novel.

This ARC was provided free in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Samantha Christene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't quiet expect what this was going to end at. I was held in suspense until the very end. The way they told multiple stories together as one without letting the ending slip out, I thought, was pretty well written. It did have moment you were a little lost, i wasn't sure with the slime I could only assume 1 thing but I still am not 100%.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand, I'm not sure what I just read. On the other hand, this was the most unique story I've ever read, and beautifully written. Sarah Toomey loses time, and Yvonne is on a mission to solve a mystery, but it's the weirdest damn mystery you'll ever read about. I read this in a single sitting, so it's compelling for sure.

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarah Toomey, a beautiful, successful Black woman in NYC, finds herself afflicted with blackout periods and destructive urges after her mother’s death. Beginning with five enslaved men in 1865 and flipping to Sarah and other characters in 2000, this unique story manages to blend horror and mystery with the wounds of racial trauma. This powerful genre-bender is a compelling read.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much happened in such a short book. I would probably classify this as a mystery/thriller with some horror elements. While I typically enjoy multiple POVs and multiple timelines, the structure of this book sometimes made it hard to follow.

[Hannah]

Absolutely could have been tighter, and the dialogue felt not dated because it took place various years in the past, but dated as if it had been written in the nineties instead of more recently. But also chilling and thought provoking.

[Mandy Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably the most satisfying horror novel I read this summer. I loved Yvonne—her characterization felt rich, and I thought the dialogue in her sections felt more realistic and believable than in the more stylized Sarah sections.

[Kelley C · Rating 2 out of 5]

way too many times I found myself asking " what the hell is going on?" while reading this book ...... i kept waiting for it to get better, but it didn't happen for me..... can someone please explain this book???

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the first half setting up the mystery but the 2nd half was too super natural for my taste.

[Farhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5.. super read. A real Black history lesson as well.. somewhat. A real nice mix of supernatural, mystery and action. Enjoyable read!

[Shayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interwoven story between past and present that will leave you horrified, saddened, and shocked. I couldn't stop reading.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF due to the writing

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and deeply unsettling. Also I love that cover.