My Review of Home is Where the Bodies Are will discuss this new suspense story by Jeneva Rose, an author who seems to like to mix it up in the mystery/thriller space. What did I think? I thought this book is perfect for fans of a subgenre of suspense novel. Let’s discuss!
Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose: Summary
- To be published on April 30, 2024 by Blackstone Press
- Thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy, which I accepted in accordance with FTC guidelines.
- I read this book in April 2024.
- More books by Jeneva Rose: The Perfect Marriage (2020), One of Us is Dead (2022), You Shouldn’t Have Come Here (2023)
Jen’s Quick Take on Home is Where the Bodies Are
- Siblings investigate dark family secrets (check out my book list!)
- A past/present narrative (present vs late 1990s)
- Interesting sibling and family dynamics
- A suspense book with escalating pace and tension
- Perfect for fans of a popular 2022 suspense novel (more on that soon)
Review of Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
So I’ve read three books by Jeneva Rose, this one plus:
The Perfect Marriage, which was a legal suspense story similar to Presumed Innocent
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here, a twisty, fast-paced suspense novel that I thought had credibility issues
I feel like Home is Where the Bodies Is feels very different and in a good way.
It’s a more classic suspense novel, with slowly escalating pace and tension.
It’s also firmly in what I call the Dark Family Secrets suspense lane, a subgenre that seems to be gaining steam, possibly from the popularity of Succession (2018-23 though it leans more toward Evil Families) and Knives Out (2019).
There are three siblings in Home is Where the Bodies Are: addict Nicole, dutiful single mom Beth, and successful golden boy Michael. They gather at their childhood home in Wisconsin after the death of their mom.
None of them want to linger. They are there to scatter her ashes, read the will, and go through the house. But in doing that last chore, they find something horrifying: a video tape of their parents discussing the disposal of a body. What even?
The siblings instantly know who the body is. But what did their parents have to do with it? What did their mom’s cryptic last words mean?
I found the sibling dynamics in the book realistic.
Siblings tend to be slotted (or slot themselves) into roles: the bossy one, the successful one, the screw-up, etc. It was interesting to see how each of them reacted to this shocking information. I liked that the story had them acting both together and also behind each others’ backs.
For a reason I couldn’t put my finger on, Home is Where the Bodies really reminded me of a popular 2022 book and I couldn’t figure out why. Then I realized it was because I guessed the killer in both of them, and it was a slightly similar resolution (they are very different books in other ways.)
I’ll discuss both books in my Spoiler Discussion so as not to spoil anyone. But all in all, I liked Home is Where the Bodies Are! If you want to talk Spoilers, come on over!
If you are looking for similar types of books, check out my list of Dark Family Secrets Suspense Books!