What do you think?
Bloody Bones
YOU CAN'T KILL WHAT'S ALREADY DEAD.
Listen... do you hear the squeaking swing?
Bloody Bones is on the porch,
and he's coming to get you.
Thirty years ago, the stranger came to the sleepy southern town of Farnsworth and the killings began. Wearing a black suit and passing himself off as a traveling preacher, the Dark Man targeted children. But when he took the daughter of the local hoodoo woman, she exacted a terrible revenge.
Listen... do you hear the creaking door?
Bloody Bones is in the house,
and he's coming to get you.
Bound to a ploughshare at the bottom of a quicksand hole and unable to die, the Dark Man raged as his body rotted to bones.
Three decades later, a murder and a gruesome burial resurrects the stranger. Now, two boys, a witch, and a deputy will attempt to keep the Dark man from sating his monstrous appetite.
Listen! Do you hear the
blood dripping on your bed?
Bloody Bones is here, and he's...
GOTCHA!
“Garrett Boatman’s Bloody Bones transported me back to those scary twilight tales told by my folks when I was a small child. This rendition of the Bones, however, was considerably more frightening and emotionally charged than the fables that kept me away from the cellar door when I was five. Boatman’s storytelling skills breathes new life into the sanguine boogeyman, providing an excellent excuse to huddle beneath the covers at night and listen for the sound of skeletal footsteps upon the floorboards next to your bed.”
-- Ronald Kelly, author of Fear and Undertaker’s Moon
"Garrett Boatman's Bloody Bones is the scariest, darkest, most entertaining story he has written yet. The best horror book of the year (maybe the next five years) is here!" -- Judith Sonnet, author of The Home
Listen... do you hear the squeaking swing?
Bloody Bones is on the porch,
and he's coming to get you.
Thirty years ago, the stranger came to the sleepy southern town of Farnsworth and the killings began. Wearing a black suit and passing himself off as a traveling preacher, the Dark Man targeted children. But when he took the daughter of the local hoodoo woman, she exacted a terrible revenge.
Listen... do you hear the creaking door?
Bloody Bones is in the house,
and he's coming to get you.
Bound to a ploughshare at the bottom of a quicksand hole and unable to die, the Dark Man raged as his body rotted to bones.
Three decades later, a murder and a gruesome burial resurrects the stranger. Now, two boys, a witch, and a deputy will attempt to keep the Dark man from sating his monstrous appetite.
Listen! Do you hear the
blood dripping on your bed?
Bloody Bones is here, and he's...
GOTCHA!
“Garrett Boatman’s Bloody Bones transported me back to those scary twilight tales told by my folks when I was a small child. This rendition of the Bones, however, was considerably more frightening and emotionally charged than the fables that kept me away from the cellar door when I was five. Boatman’s storytelling skills breathes new life into the sanguine boogeyman, providing an excellent excuse to huddle beneath the covers at night and listen for the sound of skeletal footsteps upon the floorboards next to your bed.”
-- Ronald Kelly, author of Fear and Undertaker’s Moon
"Garrett Boatman's Bloody Bones is the scariest, darkest, most entertaining story he has written yet. The best horror book of the year (maybe the next five years) is here!" -- Judith Sonnet, author of The Home
- GenresHorror
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 1, 2025
Bloody Bones is a jarring, distressing, occult horror. It made my heart hurt.
I am not even going to talk about the plot. I am only going to say that it concerns an abomination from the past that is reawakened by a depraved act 30 years later, told in graphic detail.
It is very dark, disturbing, and upsetting. I feel like I watched someone's soul get crushed when their hope was ripped away by evil. I have always said the best horror can make you feel something.
The writing is skillful, the storytelling is excellent, and I'm sitting here stunned. Never have I ever, until Bloody Bones, read a book that made me wish with all my might that the children in it would die. To be clear, I didn't just want them to die I wanted them to suffer first. Even the thought that they might get away with what they did filled me with such rage that I had to take a break and check my blood pressure.
Even though this is likely to end up on my best horror of the year list for 2025 I would cautiously recommend it to those who think they can handle it. It strained my own boundaries very close to the breaking point.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the e-ARC.
5 out of 5 stars
I am not even going to talk about the plot. I am only going to say that it concerns an abomination from the past that is reawakened by a depraved act 30 years later, told in graphic detail.
It is very dark, disturbing, and upsetting. I feel like I watched someone's soul get crushed when their hope was ripped away by evil. I have always said the best horror can make you feel something.
The writing is skillful, the storytelling is excellent, and I'm sitting here stunned. Never have I ever, until Bloody Bones, read a book that made me wish with all my might that the children in it would die. To be clear, I didn't just want them to die I wanted them to suffer first. Even the thought that they might get away with what they did filled me with such rage that I had to take a break and check my blood pressure.
Even though this is likely to end up on my best horror of the year list for 2025 I would cautiously recommend it to those who think they can handle it. It strained my own boundaries very close to the breaking point.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the e-ARC.
5 out of 5 stars
August 9, 2025
"Bloody Bones" has that "Paperbacks from Hell" feel nailed down, only Boatman has notched it up a bit by including graphic descriptions of gore and violence bordering on contemporary extreme horror. The fact that the story revolves around kids, and teenage violence in particular, is just a bonus - if you're a dedicated horror lover, that is; otherwise, the book will upset your stomach, as well as irk and disturb your more sensitive sensibilities. But this is a classic "sorry not sorry" situation.
In fact, a list of triggers might easily summarize the plot in a handily way: child death, animal death (both violent), even more child and animal death (this second time, I confess I found it justified - damn you, Garrett Boatman LOL), domestic abuse, SA (mentioned twice), psychological, emotional and mental abuse, and, of course, lots of gory killings, walking corpses, and flapping skin over emptied out stomachs. That said, the book also has an incredibly compelling cast of caring parents, a local hoodoo woman who's been already involved in the nastiness transpiring throughout the novel, and a sheriff you'll simply love to hate; plus very well-drawn characters, a strong coming-of-age theme, wonderful rural settings (OK, just a swamp, but it's important to the story), and terrific writing (unusually well placed flashbacks, few and exactly when needed) - I actually finished the book in one sitting, wondering how such an intricately plotted story would resolve itself. I wish the ending felt less rushed, it felt too abrupt, but perhaps there are details I missed.
The villain deserves special mention: powerful, unsympathetic, terrifying! Also totally insane; it was quite refreshing, to me at least, that the book wholly skipped any explanation of his point of view, and made no effort to make his actions understandable or relatable. He's just an ugly piece of work, driven by the desire to survive - at any cost!
This is not a typical kids-in-peril horror story; it's dark and often anxiety-inducing. I recommend it highly to experienced horror readers, or anyone who enjoys horror with an older feel, though also eager to risk their soul and sanity!
In fact, a list of triggers might easily summarize the plot in a handily way: child death, animal death (both violent), even more child and animal death (this second time, I confess I found it justified - damn you, Garrett Boatman LOL), domestic abuse, SA (mentioned twice), psychological, emotional and mental abuse, and, of course, lots of gory killings, walking corpses, and flapping skin over emptied out stomachs. That said, the book also has an incredibly compelling cast of caring parents, a local hoodoo woman who's been already involved in the nastiness transpiring throughout the novel, and a sheriff you'll simply love to hate; plus very well-drawn characters, a strong coming-of-age theme, wonderful rural settings (OK, just a swamp, but it's important to the story), and terrific writing (unusually well placed flashbacks, few and exactly when needed) - I actually finished the book in one sitting, wondering how such an intricately plotted story would resolve itself. I wish the ending felt less rushed, it felt too abrupt, but perhaps there are details I missed.
The villain deserves special mention: powerful, unsympathetic, terrifying! Also totally insane; it was quite refreshing, to me at least, that the book wholly skipped any explanation of his point of view, and made no effort to make his actions understandable or relatable. He's just an ugly piece of work, driven by the desire to survive - at any cost!
This is not a typical kids-in-peril horror story; it's dark and often anxiety-inducing. I recommend it highly to experienced horror readers, or anyone who enjoys horror with an older feel, though also eager to risk their soul and sanity!
September 16, 2026
**Rating:** 3.5 / 5 Stars
**Solid dark concept, though the pacing was a bit of a rollercoaster!**
I picked up *Bloody Bones* by Garrett Boatman, and while horror isn't my primary genre these days, the core premise of this book really pulled me in.
The middle chunk of the story is definitely where it shines. The central concept—a grieving mother making the fatal mistake of trying to bring her murdered son back, only for his spirit to share a quicksand grave with an old killer—was super cool. The nighttime revenge dynamic and the lingering lore around hoodoo made for a tense, entertaining ride once everything kicked into high gear. It definitely proves the age-old rule: you *never* mess with bringing the dead back.
That said, I did struggle with the structure at the start and the very end:
* **The Beginning:**
The first three chapters were very brief and jumped around across different timelines and death scenes. It felt a bit disjointed, like a multi-part prologue without labels, and it took me a little while to anchor myself and figure out what was happening.
* **The Ending:**
The climax came to a surprisingly abrupt stop. It wrapped up so fast that I actually wondered if my hoopla was missing pages or if it was meant to setup an unannounced sequel. I would have loved a bit more closure after all the build-up.
Overall, if you can push past the initial confusion of the opening chapters, there's a really neat, dark atmosphere and great story concept waiting in the middle.
**Solid dark concept, though the pacing was a bit of a rollercoaster!**
I picked up *Bloody Bones* by Garrett Boatman, and while horror isn't my primary genre these days, the core premise of this book really pulled me in.
The middle chunk of the story is definitely where it shines. The central concept—a grieving mother making the fatal mistake of trying to bring her murdered son back, only for his spirit to share a quicksand grave with an old killer—was super cool. The nighttime revenge dynamic and the lingering lore around hoodoo made for a tense, entertaining ride once everything kicked into high gear. It definitely proves the age-old rule: you *never* mess with bringing the dead back.
That said, I did struggle with the structure at the start and the very end:
* **The Beginning:**
The first three chapters were very brief and jumped around across different timelines and death scenes. It felt a bit disjointed, like a multi-part prologue without labels, and it took me a little while to anchor myself and figure out what was happening.
* **The Ending:**
The climax came to a surprisingly abrupt stop. It wrapped up so fast that I actually wondered if my hoopla was missing pages or if it was meant to setup an unannounced sequel. I would have loved a bit more closure after all the build-up.
Overall, if you can push past the initial confusion of the opening chapters, there's a really neat, dark atmosphere and great story concept waiting in the middle.
July 29, 2025
Bones
A small town with a unique urban legend of Bloody Bones. A tale everyone knows. A group of kids are in the middle of the legend now. Three is something happening to them one by one. Bloody Bones is coming to get ya. The friends must try and survive. Great coming of age read full of love and horror.
A small town with a unique urban legend of Bloody Bones. A tale everyone knows. A group of kids are in the middle of the legend now. Three is something happening to them one by one. Bloody Bones is coming to get ya. The friends must try and survive. Great coming of age read full of love and horror.
July 27, 2025
This book was amazing! I loved the Hoo doo aspects brought into this. The folklore behind Bloody Bones and how the Bocor came to be in this poor little town drew me in. This was so well written. I never wanted to put this down. Horror perfection.
July 28, 2025
It’s obvious from page 1 that Garrett Boatman’s Bloody Bones is not going to be the sanitized (if still scary) version of folk tales you heard on your mamaw’s porch. And that’s (mostly) a good thing - just be ready for the darkness.
Boatman exponentially dials up the fear by telling the story through three perspectives: the children’s - through whose eyes we are reminded of our own childhood fears, bullies, parents fighting, and the thing in the dark; the adults - easily relatable as adult readers, fear for your family’s safety, the day to day of providing for them, grief of those lost over the years; and - perhaps most chillingly of all - through the eyes of Bloody Bones himself, insatiable and powered by hoodoo.
Perfect for anyone who enjoys telling scary stories around the campfire or reading under your blanket with a flashlight on - though I’d suggest turning all the lights in the house on for this one.
Thanks to Cemetery Dance for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Boatman exponentially dials up the fear by telling the story through three perspectives: the children’s - through whose eyes we are reminded of our own childhood fears, bullies, parents fighting, and the thing in the dark; the adults - easily relatable as adult readers, fear for your family’s safety, the day to day of providing for them, grief of those lost over the years; and - perhaps most chillingly of all - through the eyes of Bloody Bones himself, insatiable and powered by hoodoo.
Perfect for anyone who enjoys telling scary stories around the campfire or reading under your blanket with a flashlight on - though I’d suggest turning all the lights in the house on for this one.
Thanks to Cemetery Dance for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 26, 2025
Thank you to the author and the publisher or publishers for all your hard work! I'm leaving this review voluntarily and happily! Take a look!
This was a book filled with hatred, death, and gore. It's been a while since I've read a book like this. Even with those listed above, there is much more to it than that. There are children that are going through something awful, families that are suffering, and an evil that has arrived angry and ready to cause as much chaos and pain as it can. The characters in this book I did have a hard time connecting to one of them. Even so, I loved the change and growth they went through. There are deaths that I wish didn't happen, and some that im so glad that did.
I don't wish to spoil anything, so im not going to go much more into any details, but there are some triggering things. Death of children, animal death, and rape. There is very dark imagery in this book, and it's something to not take lightly. With that, I still enjoyed the lore of Bloody Bones and know others will, too.
This was a book filled with hatred, death, and gore. It's been a while since I've read a book like this. Even with those listed above, there is much more to it than that. There are children that are going through something awful, families that are suffering, and an evil that has arrived angry and ready to cause as much chaos and pain as it can. The characters in this book I did have a hard time connecting to one of them. Even so, I loved the change and growth they went through. There are deaths that I wish didn't happen, and some that im so glad that did.
I don't wish to spoil anything, so im not going to go much more into any details, but there are some triggering things. Death of children, animal death, and rape. There is very dark imagery in this book, and it's something to not take lightly. With that, I still enjoyed the lore of Bloody Bones and know others will, too.
August 16, 2025
Bloody bones is a great folklore to tell for camping. Be sure to make sure he don't get ya! This folklore everyone has heard and still gives you goosebumps!
August 16, 2025
Bloody Bones was creepy, disturbing, eerie story. This is one of those stories that would be amazing around a campfire. After a young child is murdered and the murder is covered up, the young boys' parents is desperate to know what happened to their son. They seek out some sort of supernatural seer and after she tells them what happens, she tells them that she may be able to bring him back and explains that but it won't fully be him. What ends up happening is a resurrection of a dark spirit, the Dark man. Thirty years ago, the Dark Man came to the town of Fransworth and targeted children. But when he takes the daughter of a local hoodoo woman, she takes revenge and places some sort of spell on him. Now, he's been been resurrected and his spirit is picking up right where he left off. Now the children of the town must survive.
This story is very well written and keeps you hooked. I enjoyed the way in which the story was told. The details are so descriptive t gives you perfect imagery of what's happening. I recommend giving this a read!
This story is very well written and keeps you hooked. I enjoyed the way in which the story was told. The details are so descriptive t gives you perfect imagery of what's happening. I recommend giving this a read!
June 3, 2026
Man this was a fun book. Not the most intellectual or complex horror ever, but good, solid, gross fun.
That's not to say, by the way, that it's stupid or guilty fun. In fact, as I read it, I found myself comparing it to guys like Shaun Hutson, who made a living grinding out some truly brain-dead horror back in the 80s. Bloody Bones is pulpy horror for sure--for fuck's sake, look at the title--but you can tell Boatman really wanted to bring his characters to life, not just use them as fodder for the gore. This was a real community, with real people, a lot of them really unpleasant, but none of them quite sunk to the level of a cardboard cutout, even if some of them (Sheriff Wilcox in particular) did make me go "Yeah, that asshole would say/do that." But even some of the more stock characters had surprises in store--Wilcox's boy, Billy Bob, comes to mind. It would have been easy for Boatman to paint him as a one-dimensional pea-brained bully, but he made the kid a real kid, a real character, so that, even as you hate him, you can't help but sympathize for the poor bastard.
Oh, speaking of the gore: that's another mark in Bloody Bones's favor. Again, a comparison to my favorite awful horror writer, Hutson, the "Godfather of Gore," comes to mind. His graphic scenes are unintentionally hilarious. The scenes in Bloody Bones, on the other hand, were honestly fantastic; a couple of them made me go "God damn." Good shit for pulp horror; because even as the premise is kinda hokey, and it isn't super avant-garde or groundbreaking (the whole thing feels a bit like a rehash of stuff like Pumpkinhead), it still keeps you hooked. Between the earnestness of the writing, the characterization, and the gore--gawd damn, the gore--it's a fantastic horror novel.
One thing keeps it from four stars, though: the ending is so abrupt. Not the climax scene itself, which was fantastically done and really tense; but the ending, which amounts to all of four brief paragraphs following the climax. I get that the book is meant to be brief and breezy--really it's more of a novella by length--but there's not quite enough there to satisfy me that things are tied up, even by "tied up" they are left ambiguous, if you get me; satisfyingly unsatisfying, if that makes sense. I think that the ending Minor complaint, though; and at any case it comes at the end of a climax so good that it's hard to fault it, honestly.
One other thing, and I'm not counting this as a mark against the book, because it's a personal preference; but as part of his effort at verisimilitude, Boatman had his characters speak in a colloquial style. This made me feel kinda iffy about reading the poor Black folks in that style. He's clearly not treating them with disrespect--quite the opposite in fact, it seems like he made an effort to do real justice both to the life of sharecroppers, and to Hoodoo--but it wouldn't be my choice. But, it ain't my book, so, I can give him a pass.
Yeah, overall, any faults it has are most definitely minor. A great book from a writer whose career was unfairly killed for years by the Horror bust of the 90s.
That's not to say, by the way, that it's stupid or guilty fun. In fact, as I read it, I found myself comparing it to guys like Shaun Hutson, who made a living grinding out some truly brain-dead horror back in the 80s. Bloody Bones is pulpy horror for sure--for fuck's sake, look at the title--but you can tell Boatman really wanted to bring his characters to life, not just use them as fodder for the gore. This was a real community, with real people, a lot of them really unpleasant, but none of them quite sunk to the level of a cardboard cutout, even if some of them (Sheriff Wilcox in particular) did make me go "Yeah, that asshole would say/do that." But even some of the more stock characters had surprises in store--Wilcox's boy, Billy Bob, comes to mind. It would have been easy for Boatman to paint him as a one-dimensional pea-brained bully, but he made the kid a real kid, a real character, so that, even as you hate him, you can't help but sympathize for the poor bastard.
Oh, speaking of the gore: that's another mark in Bloody Bones's favor. Again, a comparison to my favorite awful horror writer, Hutson, the "Godfather of Gore," comes to mind. His graphic scenes are unintentionally hilarious. The scenes in Bloody Bones, on the other hand, were honestly fantastic; a couple of them made me go "God damn." Good shit for pulp horror; because even as the premise is kinda hokey, and it isn't super avant-garde or groundbreaking (the whole thing feels a bit like a rehash of stuff like Pumpkinhead), it still keeps you hooked. Between the earnestness of the writing, the characterization, and the gore--gawd damn, the gore--it's a fantastic horror novel.
One thing keeps it from four stars, though: the ending is so abrupt. Not the climax scene itself, which was fantastically done and really tense; but the ending, which amounts to all of four brief paragraphs following the climax. I get that the book is meant to be brief and breezy--really it's more of a novella by length--but there's not quite enough there to satisfy me that things are tied up, even by "tied up" they are left ambiguous, if you get me; satisfyingly unsatisfying, if that makes sense. I think that the ending Minor complaint, though; and at any case it comes at the end of a climax so good that it's hard to fault it, honestly.
One other thing, and I'm not counting this as a mark against the book, because it's a personal preference; but as part of his effort at verisimilitude, Boatman had his characters speak in a colloquial style. This made me feel kinda iffy about reading the poor Black folks in that style. He's clearly not treating them with disrespect--quite the opposite in fact, it seems like he made an effort to do real justice both to the life of sharecroppers, and to Hoodoo--but it wouldn't be my choice. But, it ain't my book, so, I can give him a pass.
Yeah, overall, any faults it has are most definitely minor. A great book from a writer whose career was unfairly killed for years by the Horror bust of the 90s.
August 10, 2025
Bloody Bones is a brutal, uncompromising tour-de-force that shocks and chills you with its depiction of evil and what it is capable of.
The story is not for the faint of heart. It is confronting, and contains triggers around child and animal death, SA and assault. If you can get past that then you are in for a ride reminiscent of some of the older 80s/90s horror books. It is fast paced, contains some despicable characters and often feels overwhelmingly gloomy but that just serves to make the story more effective and bring the horror of to life.
The evil that pervades this small town is truly horrifying, and the Bloody Bones character is one that thrives on hate and its own desires and will stop at nothing to get what it wants. It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, making it one of the most memorable villains of the books I've read this year.
If you are able to handle the heavy themes involved, this book will suit those that lean more towards extreme horror or the old school fans of the paperbacks from hell. If that sounds like you, then you will enjoy this one.
The story is not for the faint of heart. It is confronting, and contains triggers around child and animal death, SA and assault. If you can get past that then you are in for a ride reminiscent of some of the older 80s/90s horror books. It is fast paced, contains some despicable characters and often feels overwhelmingly gloomy but that just serves to make the story more effective and bring the horror of to life.
The evil that pervades this small town is truly horrifying, and the Bloody Bones character is one that thrives on hate and its own desires and will stop at nothing to get what it wants. It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, making it one of the most memorable villains of the books I've read this year.
If you are able to handle the heavy themes involved, this book will suit those that lean more towards extreme horror or the old school fans of the paperbacks from hell. If that sounds like you, then you will enjoy this one.
September 12, 2025
I read this book with so much indication that it would be an excellent story. I was right. From the opening prologue to the last sentence; I was impressed with this author’s storytelling. Bloody Bones sounds like a name made up to keep mischievous children in line. The story starts out like this but then turns into something so much worse. The children of this story were some good and bad mannered children and would soon find out that sometimes there is truth to those stories granny tells. I was thoroughly entertained when the story came out about how Bloody Bones came to be. I felt the horrible grief by parents whom had lost their children. Although what these boys had done to Lamar was terrible the consequences far exceeded the crime. But this was fiction so the story is supposed to give the reader “beware of your behavior” vibes.
May 22, 2026
Part of subscription from publisher.
Basically a backwoods merger of Pet Sematary and It, with a kid hero, a couple of dogs (one the MacGuffin, the other kind of the second most heroic figure), some not-that-convincing Black characters in a 1950s South that comes across as way less racist than it was, and a decent sense of place. I guess, in a postmodern way, this is a version of something that would have been a pb original in the late 80s or so, with a garish cover and a bit of copy proclaiming it "twice as scary as Stephen King!" or something similar. Except it's recent. So I suppose if a Pierre Menard take on that kind of book is something you crave, this would meet that very specific desire.
Basically a backwoods merger of Pet Sematary and It, with a kid hero, a couple of dogs (one the MacGuffin, the other kind of the second most heroic figure), some not-that-convincing Black characters in a 1950s South that comes across as way less racist than it was, and a decent sense of place. I guess, in a postmodern way, this is a version of something that would have been a pb original in the late 80s or so, with a garish cover and a bit of copy proclaiming it "twice as scary as Stephen King!" or something similar. Except it's recent. So I suppose if a Pierre Menard take on that kind of book is something you crave, this would meet that very specific desire.
August 4, 2025
Brisk, engaging and deftly written horror novella that will grab your attention from the shocking opening chapter and grip you until its slightly abrupt ending. Fans of small town horror and old school Stephen King will eat this right the hell up.
Apparently Bloody Bones itself is a folk creature dreamt up to scare American nippers. Here in Australia we just had spiders the size of dinner plates and the deadly marsupials of Drop Bear season.
Apparently Bloody Bones itself is a folk creature dreamt up to scare American nippers. Here in Australia we just had spiders the size of dinner plates and the deadly marsupials of Drop Bear season.
August 10, 2025
3.5 stars. Voodoo and revenge in the swamps brings Mr Bloody Bones back for some small town revenge
August 18, 2025
With Bloody Bones, we continue to herald the triumphant return of Garrett Boatman to horror. Starting with its tense opening, this book brims with gory menace, and it never lets up. This is the kind of novel that reminds me why I love reading horror.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews