What about the Bodies - by Ken Jaworowski (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Three desperate lives are about to collide in Locksburg, Pennsylvania, a hard-edged, Rust Belt town. There, Carla, a single mom poised to finally break free from her cycle of poverty, must join with her son to hide the body of a classmate who died while with him. At the same time, Reed, an autistic young man, sets out on a journey to keep a deathbed promise. Along the way he'll encounter both kindhearted residents and a cold-blooded nemesis. And Liz, an aspiring musician on the cusp of a breakthrough, needs to quickly come up with the cash she owes a brutal ex-con. If she can't pay him, both her dream and her life will be in grave danger. In What About the Bodies, Edgar Award nominee Ken Jaworowski cements himself as a master of the small-town thriller. As these three compelling characters intersect, the novel ignites into a story filled with explosive twists, hair-raising chills, and boundless love"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

In this propulsive crime novel from Edgar Award nominee Ken Jaworowski, three lives collide in a gritty rust-belt town--a single mother covering up a deadly mistake, a young man on a mission to honor a dying wish, and a musician racing to escape a violent debt.

Carla, a single mom poised to finally break free from her cycle of poverty, must risk it all, including her morality, to help her son hide a terrible secret.

Reed, an autistic young man, sets out on a journey to keep a deathbed promise to the mother he just lost. Along the way he'll encounter both kindhearted residents and a cold-blooded nemesis.

And Liz, an aspiring musician on the cusp of a breakthrough, needs to quickly come up with the cash she owes a brutal ex-con. If she can't pay him, both her dream and her life will be in grave danger.

As these three compelling characters intersect, the novel ignites into a story filled with explosive twists, hair-raising chills, and boundless love.

Review Quotes

Praise for What About the Bodies

"These all-too-realistic lives collide in a memorably character-driven story whose dialog--especially that of Liz--will make readers laugh even as they despair that anything can ever go right in Locksburg. Plenty of readers love a small-town thriller and this one's just the ticket."--Henrietta Thornton, firstClue

"With clear, spare prose and an ensemble of swiftly, vividly drawn characters, Ken Jaworowski conjures a twisty, chilling, and even touching tale in what promises to be a meaningful career." --Dean Koontz

"Ken Jaworowski's new thriller What About the Bodies is the moving as well as unputdownable story of a struggling single mom, an autistic young man, and a singer about to get her big break. These characters resonate with heart as they face the most dangerous times of their lives, eventually colliding in a riveting plot that twists and turns its way through gritty, small-town Pennsylvania. If you haven't read Jaworowski yet, you should start right now."--Lisa Scottoline, author of The Truth About the Devlins

"Gritty and atmospheric, What About the Bodies, is the harrowing tale of three intersecting lives, each faced with a choice of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Jaworowski writes with vigor and swagger. This is crime fiction at its best." --Alex Finlay, bestselling author of Parents Weekend

"Knife-edged heartbreaking noir, a total-immersion thriller, and an absolute master class in voice! The suffocating constraints of gritty small-town life--and the intense high-stakes struggles for personal survival--will captivate you from page one. This is a relentlessly powerful exploration of inevitability, loyalty, and the grasping hope of redemption. What About the Bodies is a complete triumph from a fiercely skilled storyteller." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today Bestselling Author

"Propulsive and gritty, but also tender and big-hearted. What About the Bodies confirms Ken Jaworowski's dexterity in penning stories that are not only impossible to put down but also sweeping in their significance." --Jahmal Mayfield, author of Smoke Kings

"What About the Bodies is a gritty Rust Belt crime novel of surprising tenderness. Following unlikely heroes battling monsters hiding in plain sight where the hope of escape, of freedom, of justice, is always just beyond their reach to an unexpected and moving conclusion. Jaworowski writes with great empathy about desperate and often neglected people, and the result is a fresh and modern thriller with heart." --Meagan Lucas, Anthony-nominated author of Here in the Dark

"Oozing with empathy and simmering with suspense, What About the Bodies is a stellar follow-up to Ken Jaworowski's classic Small Town Sins. Once again, stakes rise with every turn of the page. Once again, you'll be so immersed in the plight of everyday characters that you'll be surprised to find you're reading words on a page and not, in fact, driving down a dark road with your life at stake. Once again, you'll be delighted to see how the stories intertwine. Equal parts thrilling, haunting, and terrifying, What About the Bodies is a complete winner." --Mark Stevens, author of No Lie Lasts Forever

Praise for Ken Jaworowski

"A deeply evocative thriller that lives at the intersection of bad decisions and bad luck, Small Town Sins is an extraordinary debut, which will have you riveted from page one." ―Laura Dave, author of The Last Thing He Told Me

"Jaworowski is a brilliant storyteller...and a merciless one. His three main characters draw bad card after bad card. It would be a daunting world to visit if it weren't so redeemed by the startling generosity and warmth of Jaworowski's writing: he pulls your heartstrings till they snap. And he's written a gripping, poignant book." ―Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan

"Imagine my delight at this wonderful little book, this riotous cross-section of John Irving and Jim Thompson. These characters breathe the same air other people breathe, they work jobs like real people do. An addictive read from its first page, Small Town Sins pays the reader's attention back with love. A crime book that kept surprising me with its warmth and vigor page after page―it's a delight, well-told and deeply felt."―John Darnielle, author of Devil House

"Original, bittersweet, twisting, and triumphant. Small Town Sins takes a thrilling and deeply emotive look at cause and effect, at the decisions we make and the lessons we disregard. I adored it."―Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End

"A tour de force of lives on the edge. A page-turner that I couldn't put down. When you think left, it hits you right; when you think it's safe, the ice starts to crack. A seriously good noir thriller."―Willy Vlautin, author of Lean on Pete

"I really enjoyed the dark, gritty, and very human Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski. Callie, Nathan, and Andy are three characters who will stay with you."―Harlan Coben, author of Tell No One

"Small Town Sins is a compelling portrait of a community, told through the eyes of three desperate people whose lives go off the rails. Jaworowski has given the reader both a page-turning noir thriller and a rich, character-driven tragedy of hard lives and bad choices. A fierce and propulsive book!"―Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk

"Sitting comfortably at the pinnacle of psychological thriller writing, Small Town Sins is smart, compelling and, by turns, harrowing and heartfelt. Under the author's deft touch, the plots of the novel speed relentlessly from first page to last, through a Rust-Belt America so perfectly realized that we feel we're there in person. And what an unforgettable trio of protagonists! Given Jaworowski's masterful stylistic voice, you will hardly believe this is a debut novel. Bravo!"―Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector

"Small Town Sins is full of surprises and moves like a bullet train. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Fans of A Simple Plan and other rural noirs are sure to savor this dark and twisted thriller. I'm excited to read whatever Ken Jaworowski writes next."―Jason Rekulak, author of Hidden Pictures

"A stunning novel. Think Peter Dexter blended with James Sallis. It is that good and beautifully written. The sort of novel where you want to underline whole passages. I'm going to be pressing this book on those I care about. It restored my joy in the mystery genre."―Ken Bruen, author of The Guards

"A compulsively readable first novel that offers a very quirky look at downtrodden suburban life. Sad, seedy, horrific, humorous, and hopeful, this book is a tremendous debut."―Fabian Nicieza, co-creator of Deadpool and author of The Self-Made Widow

"Poignant . . . evocative. . . . Jaworowski weaves these characters' stories with believable action, keeping in mind their desire to be more than ordinary while the threat of violence lingers in the background. . . . Jaworowski's approach to storytelling will make readers eager for his next outing."―Oline Cogdill, The Sun Sentinel

About the Author

Ken Jaworowski is an editor at The New York Times and the author of Small Town Sins. He graduated from Shippensburg University and the University of Pennsylvania. He grew up in Philadelphia, where he was an amateur boxer, and has had plays produced in New York and Europe. He lives in New Jersey with his family.