Title: Carry Me to My Grave

Author: Christopher Golden

Release date: July 21st, 2026

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC!*

Though I’ve not read near enough of Golden’s books (I think this is my 6th?), every book I have read has been a lot of fun. When the publisher sent me an email asking if I’d like a digital ARC, I jumped at the chance. I was very intrigued by the synopsis and considering ‘Road of Bones’ had a snow-skull cover and this one has a smoke-skull cover, I figured I’d be in for a fun ride.

What I liked: The story takes place during the mid-century, in the US. Malcolm is a Korean war vet, living back at home with his sister-in-law, Violet and his mother Maggie. Maggie has a reputation and there was a childhood rhyme about her – ‘Maggie Wise will take your eyes.’ Townsfolk believe she’s a witch. Malcolm always scoffed at those words and that thought, but right before she dies, she gives him specific instructions – bring her body back to Maine where she was born and bury her before sunrise within a few days or the world as we know it will cease to exist.

Golden takes us on a rampaging ride once Maggie dies. Strange figures appear and attempt to thwart Malcolm and Violet’s journey. They manage to get on a train with Maggie’s coffin, but still the bad guys arrive. And within all this, Golden introduces us to Root, a nightmarish creature hellbent on retrieving Maggie’s body before she can be buried.

I loved the action within this one. Each scene was vibrant and cinematic, and thankfully Golden doesn’t shy away from carnage and brutality. Nothing is watered down here and nobody is safe. As the book progresses, things get darker and darker and as the truth about Maggie is revealed and more of Malcolm’s family appear, things grow complicated. It’s within those complications that the emotional weight of the book exists and its those emotional weights that lift this book up a notch from similar books.

The ending works really well considering the journey the characters go on. Thankfully, it wasn’t a case of 300 pages to get to the climactic moment, only to have things wrap up in two paragraphs. Golden took his time finishing this one and this reader greatly appreciated it.

What I didn’t like: For me, I found one moment of slowdown that I wasn’t sure worked for me. It took place right after a train crash, where Malcolm and another character end up incarcerated for a brief time. As I was reading it, it kind of sucked some of the momentum out of the story for a short few chapters. That very well might’ve been Golden’s decision, to have a pause there considering the pedal-to-the-metal nature up to those scenes, but for me, it felt jarring.

Why you should buy this: This novel takes a really fun premise – bury a body to save the world – and then escalates the stakes within a few short chapters. Golden’s writing is world class and the pacing throughout was fantastic, practically forcing me to read ‘just one more chapter’ every night. If you’ve never read a Golden book, this would be a really great spot to jump in. If you’re a long time fan of his, you’ll be very happy with the book he’s delivered.