Author T. Kingfisher is well-known for her horror novels, and this is
her latest macabre story. If you're easily creeped out, or have an
insect phobia, this isn't the book for you.
****
It's
1899, and thirty-year-old Sonia Wilson is a naturalist and artist who
worked with her father until he died. Afterwards, with no good job
offers, Sonia was obligated to teach watercolor painting in a
Wilmington, North Carolina girls' school, a low-paying job with no
future prospects. 
Consequently,
Sonia is happy to accept a job offer from the entomologist Dr. Matthias
Halder, who needs an illustrator for his book about parasitic insects. 
Dr.
Halder sends Sonia a train ticket, but there's no one waiting at the
Chatham, North Carolina train station when Sonia arrives in the late
afternoon.
There
IS a banner reading 'Home of the World Famous Chatham Rabbit.' Sonia
later learns Chatham rabbits are famous for being the main ingredient in
delicious stews.
Rabbit Stew
Dr.
Halder's residence, Halder House, is ten miles from the train station,
and Sonia is getting ready to walk when she's offered a buggy ride with
Mr. Asa Phelps. Mr. Phelps is a grim, God-fearing man who tells Sonia
it's not safe to walk in the evening, because there are devils in the
woods. Sonia is skeptical about this story, but little does she know!! 
After Sonia gets to Halder House, she meets the staff: Mrs. Kent, a Black woman, is the housekeeper/cook;
Mr. Kent, a White man, is the caretaker/handyman;
and there's a young maid called Sally.
There's also a cat named Smiley, who rules the roost.
The
mixed race couple, the maid, and the cat are friendly to Sally, in
contrast to Dr. Halder - a rigid man prone to shouting, who's concerned
only with his 'very important' work.
In
Halder House, Sonia is installed in quarters called 'the studio', whose
previous occupant left behind paints, brushes, palettes, sketchbooks,
beautiful paintings of insects, and more.
Dr.
Halder gives Sonia her assignments, to paint Cochliomyia hominivorax,
the screwworm fly (aka botworm fly); screwworm fly larvae; other
botflies; and more.
Screwworm Fly
Screwworm Fly Larva
Later,
Dr. Halder tells Sonia the screwworm fly is a parasite whose larvae
(maggots) eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, such as horses,
cattle, goats, sheep, humans, and so on. Dr. Halder goes on to describe
screwworm infections, and - unfortunately for Sonia - she later
encounters an infested raccoon.
Sonia
settles in at Halder House, does her work, and meets the housekeeper's
friend, Ma Kersey, an indigenous Lumbee. Ma Kersey is a healer and
midwife, as well as source of supernatural lore about North Carolina,
and stories about Dr. Halder.
Dr.
Halder frequently wanders through the woods at night, and when Sonia -
an inveterate nosybody - surreptitiously follows Dr. Halder, she sees him
enter a locked shed.
Eventually, Sonia enters the shed herself, and the horror part of the book ensues. 
Botfly larva on human skin
Before
that time, however, Sonia's first person narration demonstrates a wry
sense of humor, and a tendency to make fun of herself.
The novel has wonderful word-pictures of Chatham's woodsy scenery.....
......and nightmare-inducing descriptions of screwworm fly infestations.
Squirrel with a botworm infestation
I
like the scenes of Sonia doing her watercolor illustrations, which
provide a glimpse of how the artist works, and the problems she
encounters. Who knew the color 'coral' was so hard to get right.😊
If you can keep turning the pages, this spooky story will take you strange places. Strictly for horror fans.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal, who does a fine job.
Thanks to Netgalley, T.Kingfisher, and Macmillan audio for a ARC of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
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