Jolene

by Stormy Kagmire

A Splatter Punk Novel

Between funeral homes hiding horrific scenes behind their closed doors and girls going missing in the area. It is up to Jolene and Bo to weed out these insidious people who so desperately try to keep these secrets hidden.

18+ Trigger warnings.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2026

Reviews

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite the page turner, but be warned, this one is really brutal. It's trigger central. Necrophilia, sexual assault, abduction... to name but a few. Many chapters come with warnings. The downside to that? It feels like a spoiler sometimes, too.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I had a blast with this one, and I'm looking forward to more from Kagmire. Highly recommended to fans of intense fiction!

[Rina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Such an original story that I haven't ever read before. It was a page turner from start to end and I didn't want to put the book down. If you love horror genre but have felt like you've been reading the same book over and over, pick this up. You won't regret it. Definite 5 ⭐ read.

[Zane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget flowers and sympathy cards. Jolene runs a funeral home… and apparently she also has a zero tolerance policy for people who disrespect the dead. 😂🪦 Jolene takes the funeral business setting and turns it into something much darker. Jolene grew up around death, learning from her father that the dead deserve respect. After his death, she and her companion Bo take over the family business but they soon discover that some people in the funeral industry have a much more sinister idea of what that business should be. Then girls start disappearing.
Bo goes missing. Jolene is abducted. And eighteen year old Jade, herself one of the missing girls, becomes tangled in the nightmare. At this point, the funeral home isn’t exactly giving off “peaceful final resting place” vibes. 😬
What grabbed me about this story is the way it mixes horror, mystery, abduction, revenge, and dark justice while giving Jolene a personal reason to fight back. Once she and Jade join forces, the story becomes less about simply surviving and more about deciding exactly how far they’re willing to go to make things right. And honestly?
If you mess with the dead, Jolene is probably the last person you want answering the door. 😂
There are some genuinely dark ideas here, but there’s also an underlying sense of twisted justice that kept me turning the pages. The funeral home setting gives the story an appropriately creepy atmosphere, while Jolene and Jade’s partnership adds another layer to the story. This one definitely isn’t your average cozy mystery where someone gets murdered and everyone gathers around for tea.
The tea is probably poisoned. The funeral home is suspicious. And I’m checking the locks twice.
If you enjoy dark horror with missing people, sinister characters, revenge, and a protagonist who’s willing to fight back, Jolene is one to add to the horror TBR.

[Caitlin Coombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author visited my second hand book store and dropped in some copies so I thought it only fair to give it a read!

This is a unique read to say the least. I’ve certainly never read anything like it. Splatter punk is a new genre for me and I had no idea what to expect.

It contained many a plot twist and a quite a few I didn’t see coming. There were layers upon layers upon layers in this story. Plenty of trigger warnings which are an appropriate inclusion by the author. I struggled with the grammatical structure a little but I wonder if this goes along with the genre. As a literary fiction, thriller/mystery and political memoir reader it may just be unfamiliar territory for me.

It explores some pretty interesting and uncomfortable topics and concepts. In the rise of the Epstein files I feel some things that happen in this novel may not be so far from truthful.

4 stars for originality of story and plot twists

[Deryck Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original and twisty plot

I went into this not really knowing what to expect and was not disappointed. The story went places I never thought it would go and honestly, places I never thought I would enjoy reading about.

But the way this was written, the characters and the structure kept me wanting for the next chapter and delivered (sometimes needing a little break in between to digest but looking forward to coming back)

Really great debut novel, this has introduced me to a new sub genre, and I thank the author for that.

[Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say?? I absolutely loved this book!!! Don't get me wrong this really is not for the faint hearted. It's vile, depraved, disgusting, bloody, spicy for all the wrong reasons and I absolutely loved it!!!

If you like your horror horrific and full of warnings, then this one is for you!

Easy 5*read for me. Many thanks to the author and the IndieTron team for giving me the opportunity to read this will certainly be following the author, can't wait to see what's next!!!

[DJJarvisReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot in this story is pretty interesting and kept me entertained, especially when the plot twists started popping out! I did not personally enjoy the author’s writing style as much as I would have liked to, it was a little bit too wordy and had a lot of filler sentences. But with that being said, I was still on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen! And I do recommend this story for the plot and the characters and the twists!

[LisaNicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly intense book about a fresh? Subject matter. Ensure that you read all trigger warnings as some of them are not as common and may be extremely hard to read for some. The chapters with the most intense content come with their own trigger warnings so they can be skipped if needed although you will lose some of the plot.
Twists and turns that you would not expect which can seem a little disjointed at first but make more sense as you continue reading.

[Blair Lethbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

for the darker audience

With plenty of trigger warnings and a dark storyline that kept you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed the different writing styles used in different chapters and the way everything tied together. Well Done Stormy! I encourage you to continue writing.

[CoryReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

i tried really hard connecting with this book. it has all the factors i would look for in a EH/splatterpunk book. i think the concept of this book was very cool however, i just found it to be very bland/monotoned. that could just be a me thing not connecting with the authors writing style which is totally fine im sure some people will love it. it just wasn’t for me.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a brutal, blood coated read!!

An Aussie splatter punk book. I have never read an Aussie horror before and I enjoyed it!

Beware of all the trigger warnings and dont go into this with a weak stomach!

[ceri evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I feel that the ending left room for a second book and I'll look forward to hopefully seeing the threesome take on some more vile people thank you!

[Amy Flaherty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable. Shock for the sake of it. Terrible writing. A star for having the guts to publish a book with such brutal topics.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kindly sent this ARC as my 3rd book in the Indie-Tron Event.

We follow Jo who grew up with her family in the funeral home business. Jo has quickly realised that there are too many necrophiliacs in this line of work so her and her best friend Bo take matters into their own hands. We also follow Jade, who is dealing with a very traumatic home life.

I loved this book. It was nothing like I’ve read before. I’d love this to be a series because I didn’t want it to end. It’s jam packed full of twists and gory details that are just perfect! The one thing I really appreciated was this author had not only put the trigger warnings at the start of the book like normal but they also put the following chapters triggers at the start of each one meaning if anyone needed to they could skip ahead. I thought this was a lovely touch. I would 100% recommend this to everyone who loves a gory horror.
It’s got to be 5✨ for me

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jolene runs a funeral home and starts uncovering secrets buried deeper than the graves she tends.
It's eerie, fast-paced, and full of twists. It’s a must read!!

[Nightshade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!. I wasn't prepared going in but holy heck.! If you want a very descriptive read with female rage this is the book for you!. The storyline was brilliant, the characters: perfection. One chapter iykyk had me staring at the wall for 20 minutes going WTF!! If you've been contemplating reading this book do it you will enjoy it 🙂

[Michelle Engelbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique read

This book is what I would call an acquired taste. The concept is quite original and has a lot of promise. Other than a few issues here and there it lived up to its reputation.

[E Singer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the descriptive language in this book. Parts were very graphic and visceral keeping my attention to the gore. The storyline had great potential with two very amazing female main characters that had to overcome a lot of obstacles and seeing their growth, especially Jade’s, was endearing. However, the story was not written cohesively. I think the author was trying to include too much information in between chapters that made the story feel disconnected. Reorganizing the information would have led to a more uniform read. In addition, third person omniscient is quite difficult to pull off without confusing the reader as to which character’s inner thoughts are being portrayed. I think the writing could have been elevated in a way that would’ve made this more impactful.

[Pepper Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just say, if you are a true fan of horror books, then get Jolene, because it will not disappoint! It being my first horror book, I have to say, it will not be my last one. Stormy Kagmire is a talented writer and it definitely shows in this story.
I'm not giving anything away, you have to read the book to know what happens and how the story unfolds, but the characters, Jolene and Jade, and let's not forget Bo, were all wonderfully done. Get this book! Just get it!
Patiently waiting for the next one to come out!

[amzreads92 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a horror book where the author puts warnings before the chapters that some readers might find triggering. I loved the twists in the story. There are alot of triggers in this book. Its better if you go into this blind as I personally think you get a better experience.

[LaNora · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself wasn't bad. I always love twists and a good feminine rage story. I just did not enjoy the writing style