Salt Bones: A Novel

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Book Riot Best Mystery & Thriller of the Year
A Marie Claire Best Mystery-Thriller of the Year
A Library Journal Stellar Selection
A RUSA 2026 Reading List Selection

Three women in one twisted family race for answers in this striking mystery set in the Mexicali borderlands that "breathes new life into the myth of Persephone and Demeter" (Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines).

At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting...

Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal has done her best to build a good life: She's raised two children, worked hard, and tried to forget the painful, unexplained disappearance of her sister, Elena. When another local girl goes missing, Mal plunges into a fresh yet familiar nightmare. As a desperate Mal hunts for answers, her search becomes increasingly tangled with inscrutable visions of a horse-headed woman, a local legend who Mal feels compelled to follow. Mal's perspective is joined by the voices of her two daughters, all three of whom must work to uncover the truth about the missing girls in their community before it's too late.

Combining elements of Latina and Indigenous culture, family drama, mystery, horror, and magical realism in a spellbinding mix, Salt Bones lays bare the realities of environmental catastrophe, family secrets, and the unrelenting bond between mothers and daughters.

"Taut with a mother's fierce love and the corrosive power of secrets...this is storytelling at its most urgent and haunting." --Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez

"A novel of visceral and celestial storytelling power, where the grieving land holds as many secrets as the characters." --Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of Sabrina & Corina

"A triumph ... One of the most masterful marriages of horror, mystery, thriller, and literary writing." --The Los Angeles Times

"Will absolutely mesmerize you." --Cosmo

"Beautifully explores the dark complexities of mother-daughter relationships." --Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal

"An irresistible world." --Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory

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Published Jul 22, 2025

384 pages

Average rating: 7.8

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Gias_BookHaven

Dec 30, 2025

9/10 stars

Wow. That was more intense than I expected. Lots to process. Full review to come soon.

7.7.2025 Update:

eArc Review:

Salt Bones is about a single mother living in the town El Valle close to the Salton Sea who's been haunted by La Siguanaba on and off since the disappearance of her sister, Elena over twenty years ago. When a coworker goes missing, Mal tries to keep it together but when her youngest disappears, Mal's desperate not to have history repeat itself.

La Siguanaba, a shapeshifting creature from South American folklore, is said to be an alluring horse-headed woman that roams the beaches and surrounding deserts that lures womanizers and drunk men into danger. In Salt Bones, Mal fears that La Siguanaba also comes for children and teenage girls.

Salt Bones is chilling, eclectic, haunting and raw. I had so many feelings when I finished this book. Lots of anger, rage, sadness and heartache. And it's one of those books where you wish the supernatural/folklore element of the story played a bigger role in the narrative. Because then you can shift blame onto this unnatural being or entity, rather than the human individuals you grow attached to. And most hauntingly, those who were closest to Mal and her girls.

I found Mal's character to be a really strong and proactive individual considering the circumstances. And her panic and worry when her youngest daughter went missing was completely valid. She grew up at the mercy and torment of her mother's cruel punishment and tongue. That treatment only got worse after her sister's disappearance. And for Mel to have lived through that once, I loved that she didn't take the chance Amaranta was off with some friends instead of frantically trying to track her down.

I want to say that I kinda liked her eldest daughter, Griselda but I feel I might be stretching to say that. There were a lot of details none of them knew before Amar's disappearance, but I found Gris's dissociation from her mother and the situation to be tactless and dumb. I know Mal's intention to tell the girls about Gus was interrupted by Amar's disappearance but even if Gris knew beforehand, I think she would have acted the same way.

It was as if she lived on her own pedestal that was above El Valle since she's been away at school. And next to Mal, I felt the most sorry for Amaranta. She kept a lot to herself and when she found her voice to share what she learned it put her in harm's way.

Two lessons I feel readers will take away from Salt Bones is that: the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. And the things we fear might be trying to warn up a greater evil.

Salt Bones also covers specific nuances regarding colonization, gentrification, environmental pollution white savior complex, animal cruelty, misogyny and toxic family traits. I focused on the main characters and their connections to the overall narrative because it's a character heavy story and I want to avoid spoilers. I recommend readers going into this book should check all the trigger warnings first.

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