I received this book for free from the Publicist in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Carry Me To My Grave by Christopher Golden Published by St. Martin's Press on July 21 2026
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publicist
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Bookshop.org
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: Relentless pacing, thrilling action and heartbreak combine in Christopher Golden’s latest, a violent but satisfying horror tale.
This is my first experience reading Christopher Golden, and I’m not sure why I waited so long. Carry Me To My Grave was surprisingly well written, tense and unexpectedly horrific. Golden gives readers a unique, very dark take on the vampire trope but also infuses his story with relatable characters and heart wrenching emotion. In short, it has everything I love in a good story.
Malcolm Wise’s mother Maggie is dying, and he and his sister-in-law Violet wait at her bedside for the inevitable. A strange man in a raven mask is also waiting outside in the shadow of the trees, but who is he? Right before she passes, Maggie tells Malcolm it’s imperative that he take her body to Shediak Maine to be buried—a thousand miles away—and it must happen within two days of her death, or else. Malcolm doesn’t understand these instructions, but he’s determined to grant a dying woman her last wish, and so he agrees to her demands.
What Malcolm doesn’t know (but will soon find out) is that someone else is trying to steal Maggie’s body before it can be buried, and the consequences of that happening would be catastrophic. With the help of two hired body guards, Malcolm and Violet race to get Maggie’s body to Shediak. But dark forces are on their tail, and it isn’t long before their journey turns deadly.
This is basically a road trip story, but it’s anything but “basic.” Golden has a come up with a fairly simple premise that takes some surprising twists and turns, and most of the tension comes from the notion of whether or not Malcolm is going to complete his task before everything goes sideways. There are plenty of people trying to stop him, including an estranged family member, but he also has a lot of help. One of my favorite scenes takes place on a train, and I could not turn the pages fast enough. Expect plenty of violence and bloodshed—and the train scene is only the tip of the iceberg!
The story is told from multiple points of view, and I loved getting inside the various characters’ heads. The relationships are fantastic—complex, messy and very emotional. Maggie may be dead, but her presence in the story is palpable. Malcolm, Jennie and Elias grew up with a mother who was both attentive and neglectful. All three have emotional scars they are still dealing with, although they also have many fond memories from their childhoods. It’s complicated! The siblings’ relationships with each other are full of jealousy, resentment and disappointment, so it was interesting to watch them interact. Elias is a horrible husband to Violet—he cheats on her and leaves her alone for long stretches at a time. Because of this, Violet and Malcolm have grown very close, and their relationship comes to a head during the story. Jennie has distanced herself from Elias and Malcolm for various reasons, but she makes a surprise appearance just when Malcolm needs her the most.
I also want to mention that the story takes place in the 1950s, an era where illicit affairs and divorce aren’t readily accepted by society. Although Violet is extremely unhappy in her marriage to Elias, she and Malcolm are bound by social restraints and are reluctant to do anything about their feelings for one another. Also, Malcolm is a Korean War vet with PTSD, and his recent experiences in the war color everything he’s going through. The author didn’t need to add these details to his story, but I’m glad he did because it made an already good story even better.
The horror is top notch, and the supernatural creatures who terrorize Malcolm, Violet and Jennie (and everyone they come into contact with) are terrifying and deadly. I loved the idea of an ancient entity who can take control of someone’s mind and turn them into a killing machine, and Golden plays with this idea in some heartwrenching ways. You will become attached to the characters, and your heart will be broken more than once, fair warning. One particular scene at the end was a crushing blow, and I haven’t yet recovered.
There are so many other side characters and story elements I haven’t even talked about, but I’ll leave you to experience them for yourselves. Carry Me To My Grave would make an incredible movie, so readers who love cinematic-level reading experiences should not miss it. I can’t wait to dive into more of Christopher Golden’s work!
Big thanks to Kaye Publicity and the publisher for providing a review copy.
Leave a Reply