In Ginny Myers Sain’s newest supernatural thriller “When the Bones Sing,” the sleepy town of Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas becomes the epicenter of a chilling mystery that blends the raw beauty of the Ozark Mountains with a haunting tale of murder, magic, and deep-seated grief. Following her success with “Dark and Shallow Lies” and “Secrets So Deep,” Sain once again demonstrates her talent for crafting atmospheric narratives steeped in folklore and small-town secrets.
The Heartbeat of the Ozarks
At seventeen, Dovie Warner possesses an extraordinary gift—the ability to hear the bones of the dead “singing” to her, guiding her to their shallow graves scattered throughout the Ozark mountains. While Dovie comes from a long line of women with this uncanny ability, she stubbornly refuses to believe in magic or the supernatural. She considers her talent nothing more than a practical skill, like perfect pitch or a photographic memory.
The novel’s setting—the fictional town of Lucifer’s Creek—feels viscerally alive, with its sulfurous creek that “smells like someone without any manners left the doorway to hell standing wide open.” Sain’s depiction of the Ozarks is a love letter to one of America’s oldest mountain ranges, portraying it as a place where ancient magic simmers beneath the surface, “bubblin’ below the surface. In every crack and crevice of every rock. In the dirt and in the water.”
A Mystery That Runs Bone-Deep
Over the past three years, twenty-three hikers have vanished from the Aux-Arc Trail, their bodies later discovered buried in shallow graves by Dovie’s bone-divining abilities. When yet another hiker goes missing—twenty-one-year-old Riley Alden from Tulsa—Dovie is once again called to help the sheriff locate his remains.
Meanwhile, Dovie’s best friend Lo Wilder, who lives in a ramshackle cabin with his grandmother, claims to be haunted by the spirits of the murdered hikers. Unlike skeptical Dovie, Lo is a believer in Ozark mountain magic, charms, and protective spells. When Lo insists the spirits want him to find their killer, Dovie reluctantly agrees to help, even though she doesn’t believe in his ghosts.
The story takes an unexpected turn when Riley Alden’s brother Xander appears in town, determined to discover what happened to his sibling. What follows is a breathless investigation that uncovers decades-old secrets, hidden traumas, and a darkness that has been stalking the town for generations.
Strengths That Shine Like Moonlight on the Crag
Rich, Atmospheric Prose
Sain’s greatest strength is her evocative, sense-driven prose that transports readers directly into the humid heart of the Ozarks. You can almost smell the sulfur rising from Lucifer’s Creek, feel the sticky summer heat pressing against your skin, and hear the eerie call of the legendary Ozark Howler echoing through the trees:
“A strangled howl cuts through the night and we’re frozen, clinging to each other at the edge of the dark woods. It sounds almost like a person, wounded and desperate, but there’s something inhuman about it, too, something older than the sky and sadder than the wind.”
Her descriptions are poetic without being pretentious, creating a haunting backdrop against which the story unfolds with increasing tension.
Complex Characters with Deep Roots
Dovie is a compelling protagonist whose practical skepticism clashes with the supernatural world she inhabits. Her complicated relationship with her best friend Lo forms the emotional core of the novel—a relationship that evolves beautifully as the story progresses. Lo, with his belief in mountain magic and his haunted eyes, serves as the perfect foil to Dovie’s rationalism.
The supporting cast is equally well-developed—from Nana with her folk wisdom to Daddy with his stained glass artistry, each character feels authentic to the hill country setting. Even the antagonists have multi-layered motivations that go beyond simple villainy.
Masterful Blend of Mystery and Southern Gothic Elements
Sain combines the methodical unraveling of a murder mystery with supernatural elements that question the boundaries between reality and folklore. The novel’s structure keeps readers guessing, offering enough genuine scares and tension to satisfy horror fans while maintaining the emotional depth that makes readers invest in the characters’ fates.
Areas That Could Use Polishing
Pacing Inconsistencies
While the novel builds excellent atmosphere, there are stretches where the pacing feels uneven. The middle section occasionally becomes repetitive as Dovie cycles through the same thoughts and doubts, creating a slight drag before the plot accelerates again toward its climax.
Some Predictable Plot Elements
A few of the novel’s revelations, particularly regarding one character’s true nature, may be telegraphed too early for astute readers. The identity of the killer, while satisfyingly motivated, might not surprise genre-savvy readers who pick up on certain clues before the final reveal.
Underdeveloped Mythology
The lore surrounding the Ozark Howler and the bone-singing ability, while fascinating, sometimes feels inconsistently developed. Certain aspects of the supernatural elements could benefit from more thorough explanation, particularly regarding how and why the bone-singing gift manifests differently across generations.
Thematic Richness: Beyond the Mystery
What elevates “When the Bones Sing” above standard supernatural thrillers is its thoughtful exploration of profound themes:
- Grief as a Connective Force
- The novel presents grief not just as an emotion but as a power that connects the living and the dead
- Dovie’s realization that her family’s bone-singing ability manifests through loss gives the supernatural element emotional resonance
- Faith vs. Skepticism
- The tension between Lo’s belief in magic and Dovie’s hardheaded skepticism creates a philosophical undercurrent
- The novel suggests that sometimes we need both approaches to find truth
- The Price of Community Silence
- The town’s collective unwillingness to confront evil for economic benefit forms a powerful commentary on moral compromise
- The way townsfolk benefit from tourism while ignoring the disappearances reflects real-world willful blindness to systemic problems
- Generational Trauma and Healing
- The novel explores how trauma passes through families like the Clovers and Wilders
- The resolution suggests that breaking generational curses requires confronting painful truths
Comparison to Other Works
Fans of similar southern gothic and supernatural YA thrillers will find much to love here. The novel shares DNA with Natalie C. Parker’s “Beware the Wild,” Alexandra Bracken’s “The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding,” and of course Sain’s own previous works. Like her debut “Dark and Shallow Lies,” which explored a psychic community in the Louisiana bayou, “When the Bones Sing” demonstrates Sain’s expertise in creating atmospheric settings that become characters in their own right.
What distinguishes this novel, however, is its deep connection to Ozark folklore and its thoughtful exploration of how we process grief. While many supernatural YA novels use magical elements primarily for plot, Sain uses them to illuminate emotional truths about loss, love, and healing.
Final Verdict: A Bone-Chilling Read Worth Excavating
“When the Bones Sing” is a gripping, atmospheric supernatural thriller that showcases Ginny Myers Sain’s considerable gifts as a storyteller. Despite some minor flaws, the novel’s strengths—its rich setting, nuanced characters, and thematic depth—far outweigh its weaknesses.
For readers who appreciate:
- Southern gothic atmosphere with authentic regional flavor
- Coming-of-age stories blended with supernatural elements
- Mysteries that explore both external crimes and internal wounds
- Explorations of folklore and rural traditions
- Stories about friendship evolving into something deeper
This novel delivers a reading experience that lingers long after the final page, like the echo of a phantom howl through the ancient Ozark hills. Sain has crafted a tale that satisfies on multiple levels—as a tense thriller, a poignant coming-of-age story, and a meditation on how we carry our dead with us, always.
In the tradition of the best southern gothic literature, “When the Bones Sing” reminds us that sometimes the most frightening monsters aren’t the legendary beasts that stalk our forests, but the darkness we harbor within ourselves—and that occasionally, what looks like magic might simply be the mysterious ways humans process grief, love, and loss in a world filled with unexplainable wonders.
Whether you’re already a fan of Sain’s previous works or new to her storytelling, this bone-deep tale of murder and magic in the misty mountains is well worth your time.