I Am Groot! No Sorry, Root, It's Root!

TITLE: Carry Me to My Grave

AUTHOR: Christopher Golden

PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Press

PUBLISHING DATE: July 21, 2026

PAGES: 336   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Maggie Wise will take your eyes.

When Malcolm was growing up, the local kids made up that chant about his mother, claiming she was a witch. He and his siblings did their best to ignore it. Now, Maggie is dying, and those same siblings have left Malcolm and his sister-in-law Violet to hold a vigil at her bedside. 

But they’re not as alone as they think they are. A dark figure waits and watches from beneath the willow tree across the street. Hundreds of miles away, an ancient evil stirs in its burrow under a farmer’s cornfield. Across the country, other buried things begin to dream in anticipation of Maggie’s demise. On her deathbed, the old woman elicits a promise from Malcolm, her youngest child―when she dies, he and Violet must return her body to her birthplace in Shediak, Maine. 

From the moment she takes her last breath, before her remains are even loaded aboard the baggage car of the Imperial Limited, there are forces trying to stop Malcolm from fulfilling that promise. Violence erupts on the train, evil preys on its passengers, and once the sun goes down, those long-buried things are coming to make Maggie Wise pay for her past. God help anyone who stands in their way.

MY THOUGHTS: I have always loved Christopher Golden's horror and if you haven't checked him out yet, I highly recommend you do.  I have read at least five of his books, with All Hallow's Eve still remaining my favorite, and have several more on my shelves.  However, I have to say that this newest novel threatened to knock All Hallow's Eve off the top spot once or twice.  

Malcomb's mother is dying.  He and his sister-in-law Violet have been at her bedside for several days and when she finally passes, Maggie explains that Malcomb has a limited amount of days to travel to Sediak, Maine to bury her remains and if they fail, they cannot imagine the repercussions.  

Malcolm's family has never been close.  His brother is basically a gambler who hasn't been home in years and his older sister, even longer.  Violet is the only help he has had and together they have formed a forbidden love.  Maggie has always been rumored to be a witch but Malcolm never believed.  However, as the trip progresses, Malcolm starts to realize there may be some truth to the tall tales and that he has no idea who his mother really is or about the life she has lived.

This book kept me engaged from the first chapter and never let up.  The chapters on the train where Malcolm, Violet and Maggie's body are holed up in the cargo train are some of the most atmospheric and suspenseful ones I've read in a long time.  Also, the evil entities they contend with throughout their journeys are original and terrifying.  I won't clue you in to their supernatural nature (and no, they aren't really Groot) but they have lived underground for hundreds of years and when they finally pop up to introduce themselves, people all around better run.

I cannot recommend this book enough and am so glad I picked it up.  I really need to find time to read some backlist titles from the author because he hasn't disappointed me yet.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS