The Painted Grin

by Martina López

In a rural village in 1920, Eleanor’s quiet farm life is disrupted when she stumbles upon a dead body.

Suspecting this is linked to the circus that has arrived in town, she soon notices people vanishing, something other locals choose to ignore.

Taunted by an evil clown, an old man in a cave and a creepy doll’s head that springs to life, Eleanor must figure out how to escape her chilling fate.

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2025

Reviews

[A S Thielman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Painted Grin was amazing! It was easy to read, gripping, and the plot twist left my mouth hanging open. The story follows Eleanor and her journey with dealing with increasing anxiety and grief after discovering a dead body, but was there something odd about the corpse's neck, and did a circus just arrive?

Eleanor finds herself in the middle of people vanishing from her down, and she's one of the few people who can stop it. While dealing with the grief and crippling anxiety, maybe she can find love as her childhood neighbor moves back to town.

This story is wonderfully crafted with a mix of queer budding love, grief, coulrophobia, and some terrifying decapitated doll heads.
If you love anything creepy, this book is for you. I highly recommend it, and this is the author's debut novel!

[R.T. Kolbeinsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This coming of age story set in rural 1920’s England about mysterious circus related murders has a genuine heart to it. The themes of grief and trauma are well explored and have a relatable touch to them which the author conveys beautifully. It’s darker elements, however, left me a bit confused as to how it all tied together in the end and I unfortunately didn’t get that satisfying conclusion of both theme and character arcs coming together.

Overall I enjoyed my time with this story. Perhaps others might gravitate more to its horror elements than I did, but I will at least have connected with its deeper themes on grief and becoming an adult

[David Yuill-Kirkwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of The Painted Grin and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eleanor’s trauma after discovering her dead friend set the story in motion, and even her impossible sister began to change as the disappearances mounted and Eleanor struggled against things no one else seemed to see. And who doesn’t love an unsettling clown (I imagined him as Papa Lazarou turned up to eleven)? All of this made for an excellent read that I hope others will pick up and enjoy. I’m excited for what Martina Lopez writes next!

[Βίκυ Χ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Unyielding Heart in a Haunting Debut

At the heart of this terrifying tale is Eleanor, a grieving heroine whose unyielding spirit stole my heart. Her journey into a carnival masking a primordial evil is pure nightmare fuel, written with a musician's sense of atmosphere. While not flawless, it's a compelling and unforgettable read. If this is the author's debut, I am already queuing up for her next bone-chilling world.