Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: A Horror Mystery of a Chinese American Crime Scene Cleaner, Serial Killers and Hungry Ghosts
New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2025
2025 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel
Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Horror
USA TODAY Best Books of 2025
Library Journal Best Books of 2025
Spotify Best Horror Books of 2025
Kobo Best Horror Books of 2025
Book Riot Best Books of 2025
Los Angeles Public Library Best Fiction of 2025
Google Play Best Horror Novel of 2025
"A compelling, gory, ghostly romp."
--Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie
"This is what it felt like to live in New York City during lockdown: haunted, absurd, terrifying, ridiculous, and full of hungry ghosts."
--Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House
In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.
Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she's already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train.
Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater.
So the bloody messes don't really bother Cora--she's more bothered by the germs on the subway railing, the bare hands of a stranger, the hidden viruses in every corner, and the bite marks on her coffee table. Of course, ever since Delilah was killed in front of her, Cora can't be sure what's real and what's in her head.
She pushes away all feelings and ignores the advice of her aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. But she can't ignore the dread in her stomach as she keeps finding bat carcasses at crime scenes, or the scary fact that all her recent cleanups have been the bodies of East Asian women.
As Cora will soon learn, you can't just ignore hungry ghosts.
For fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Gretchen Felker-Martin, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a wildly original, darkly humorous, and subversive contemporary novel from a striking new voice in horror.
For readers who love:
- Monika Kim, Stephen Graham Jones, and Grady Hendrix
- Terrifying, gory horror with heart and dark humor
- Ghost stories and mythology
- Crime novels
- Themes of friendship and family
- Horror that highlights social issues
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Community Reviews
Wow. I held my breath during the onslaught of the first chapter. The adult horror novel is set in New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. Cora Zeng and her sister Delilah, recently laid off due to the pandemic, are out buying supplies and waiting on a train when a man suddenly screams “Bat Eater!” and pushes Delilah in front of the oncoming train. Delilah is killed immediately and Cora is left stunned and traumatized by the horrific scene. After this, Cora begins working as a crime scene cleaner despite her fears of germs and uncleanliness. She becomes friends with her coworkers and trudges on with her life. They continue to clean up crime scenes of East Asian women which oddly include bats on the scene and fear a serial killer is on the loose. She continues going to church with her aunt who is paying her student loans, but she ignores the advice from her other aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival. She exists and moves from one thing to another until she sees a hungry ghost herself and everything changes. Cora grapples with trauma, regret, shame, unresolved feelings, inability to hope for the future, fear, and racism.
The novel is dark and gruesome. I almost stopped reading several times and this is because of the many gory depictions. This is not the typical book I would read, but I’m glad I didn’t stop reading. I learned so much. This book is thought-provoking in all the right ways. From the author’s note: “ For me, no needle-neck ghost can compare to the way the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world— the way we sacrificed the elderly and disabled on the altar of capitalism, the way trust in the government and the CDC swiftly dissolved, and the way we proved we as a country still haven't learned not to scapegoat an entire race of people in times of fear.” Overall, I loved it and I thank the author for this important book. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via Net Galley. All opinions are my own.
The novel is dark and gruesome. I almost stopped reading several times and this is because of the many gory depictions. This is not the typical book I would read, but I’m glad I didn’t stop reading. I learned so much. This book is thought-provoking in all the right ways. From the author’s note: “ For me, no needle-neck ghost can compare to the way the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world— the way we sacrificed the elderly and disabled on the altar of capitalism, the way trust in the government and the CDC swiftly dissolved, and the way we proved we as a country still haven't learned not to scapegoat an entire race of people in times of fear.” Overall, I loved it and I thank the author for this important book. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via Net Galley. All opinions are my own.
This is one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. Written about the worst part of the pandemic, it takes us through a world of violence and horror. Cora Zeng begins the book with no agency but by the end is a somewhat unwitting heroine. I don’t want to describe anything more about the plot because it defies description. I don’t know if any of the things in this book actually happened, but I’m sure there must have been equally gruesome crimes against humanity and particularly Asian women.
Interesting book. Off to a very slow start. But the last 1/3 was good. During the beginning the writer seemed to have no direction and seemed only to write for the sake of writing gory details. The most interesting thing to happen was her sister getting pushed. The beginning could have been 1/3 as long and still had as much story in it. I almost didn’t finish it but it was a challenge so I mustered through. The second half started to address the was Aiden’s were treated during the pandemic. It could have been addressed more in th book but at least the writer did address it at all. If you like ghosts and gore you may enjoy this.
So, let’s start with the positives: creepy Chinatown vibes? Check. A protagonist who literally scrubs blood off walls for a living? Check. Ghosts, folklore, and ominous bat carcasses showing up like unwanted Amazon packages? Big check. The premise is killer (pun fully intended).
On paper, this book had everything I love: creepy folklore, murdery vibes, crime-scene gore, and a protagonist who literally scrubs blood for a living. And honestly? The atmosphere delivered.
The crime scene cleaner angle is awesome, and I loved the infusion of Chinese folklore and Hungry Ghost Festival lore. That part crackled with originality. The Chinatown setting was vivid, the Hungry Ghost Festival dread was chilling, and the bat carcasses showing up like cursed party favors? Chef’s kiss on the horror.
But… the execution felt a little uneven. Cora spends a lot of time ignoring the very obvious fact that ghosts are, in fact, hungry and not going to just “go away if you don’t think about them.” It got repetitive—like yelling at a horror movie character not to go into the basement.
Cora herself is a compelling but frustrating main character. The grief and trauma are palpable (understandably so—seeing your sister shoved in front of a train is next-level horrifying), but her endless detachment made it hard to fully connect. Her coworkers, though? Weird little highlights that added flavor when the main story dragged.
And the ending… let’s just say it landed more in the “huh” zone than the “holy crap” zone. It didn’t quite stick the landing for me.
Verdict: eerie and atmospheric, worth a read if you like your horror with folklore and blood, but don’t expect it to tie up neatly—or keep you fully hooked the whole way.
On paper, this book had everything I love: creepy folklore, murdery vibes, crime-scene gore, and a protagonist who literally scrubs blood for a living. And honestly? The atmosphere delivered.
The crime scene cleaner angle is awesome, and I loved the infusion of Chinese folklore and Hungry Ghost Festival lore. That part crackled with originality. The Chinatown setting was vivid, the Hungry Ghost Festival dread was chilling, and the bat carcasses showing up like cursed party favors? Chef’s kiss on the horror.
But… the execution felt a little uneven. Cora spends a lot of time ignoring the very obvious fact that ghosts are, in fact, hungry and not going to just “go away if you don’t think about them.” It got repetitive—like yelling at a horror movie character not to go into the basement.
Cora herself is a compelling but frustrating main character. The grief and trauma are palpable (understandably so—seeing your sister shoved in front of a train is next-level horrifying), but her endless detachment made it hard to fully connect. Her coworkers, though? Weird little highlights that added flavor when the main story dragged.
And the ending… let’s just say it landed more in the “huh” zone than the “holy crap” zone. It didn’t quite stick the landing for me.
Verdict: eerie and atmospheric, worth a read if you like your horror with folklore and blood, but don’t expect it to tie up neatly—or keep you fully hooked the whole way.
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