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All the Beautiful Sinners
This novel "masterfully plays with the serial killer genre, walking a line between convention and invention and delving into the psychology of both killer and detective" (Publishers Weekly).
For more than eight years, a serial killer has been stalking the country, visiting towns with biblical names and leaving pairs of victims behind—one female and one male, their bodies broken and twisted to create the same gruesome scene over and over again.
In rural Nazareth, Texas, a Native American man suspected of shoplifting shoots and kills the local sheriff, then takes off running. Found in the trunk of the shoplifter's abandoned car? Two decaying bodies that match the serial killer's chosen prey. Seeking vengeance for the death of the lawman, Deputy Sheriff Jim Doe goes AWOL, embarking on a cross-country manhunt with the FBI following close behind.
From town to town, Doe finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of myth and mayhem, as a storm builds from the menacing clouds of both his—and the killer's—tragic pasts . . .
"Jones's writing betrays a huge intelligence, but he embraces the genre's conventions without sending them up or dumbing them down." —Texas Monthly
"It does what crime drama is supposed to scare the bejesus out of the reader. Eerie and engrossing, the novel is the sort of thing you have to shake out of your system when you've finished." —San Antonio Express-News
For more than eight years, a serial killer has been stalking the country, visiting towns with biblical names and leaving pairs of victims behind—one female and one male, their bodies broken and twisted to create the same gruesome scene over and over again.
In rural Nazareth, Texas, a Native American man suspected of shoplifting shoots and kills the local sheriff, then takes off running. Found in the trunk of the shoplifter's abandoned car? Two decaying bodies that match the serial killer's chosen prey. Seeking vengeance for the death of the lawman, Deputy Sheriff Jim Doe goes AWOL, embarking on a cross-country manhunt with the FBI following close behind.
From town to town, Doe finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of myth and mayhem, as a storm builds from the menacing clouds of both his—and the killer's—tragic pasts . . .
"Jones's writing betrays a huge intelligence, but he embraces the genre's conventions without sending them up or dumbing them down." —Texas Monthly
"It does what crime drama is supposed to scare the bejesus out of the reader. Eerie and engrossing, the novel is the sort of thing you have to shake out of your system when you've finished." —San Antonio Express-News
496 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 8, 2003
45 people are currently reading
2278 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Graham Jones
236 books15.1k followersStephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author thirty-five or so books. He really likes werewolves and slashers. Favorite novels change daily, but Valis and Love Medicine and Lonesome Dove and It and The Things They Carried are all usually up there somewhere. Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado. It's a big change from the West Texas he grew up in.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
did-not-finish
November 6, 2019Pains me to say I'm quitting this one.
Sorry, I'm about halfway and don't know what the fuck is going on.
There's a guy who's looking for a guy, who is maybe two guys, or maybe the one guy sort of trained the other guy, and there's a girl, who's maybe dead and maybe not dead. Oh, and the guy looking for the guy keeps getting mistaken for the guy he's looking for. And he's been arrested, I think, maybe twice, but I'm not totally clear on that. Pills, something with trees. Desecrated graves and also kids kidnapped during a tornado. Maybe it becomes clear how this all fits by the end, but I don't think I'm willing to wait that long.
It feels like a failure on my part, but I'm just not excited to get back in, crack the cover and be confused again and again.
There's some great writing in here, some good inner monologue stuff, but I just can't hang with it. It's not something I can hang with for 400+ pages.
I respect that this book almost actively doesn't give a fuck if you can follow it, and maybe there was a time in my life where I was ready for that. As I've aged, clarity has become the most important thing to me in books. If I can see the scene, feel the sensations, and understand a complex situation, I'm happier than I am trying to piece something together.
I respect that this book almost demands you read it a certain way, probably in a binge over a couple days straight. But that's just not the way my life works these days, and I don't think I can interact with this story the way that you have to.
In another life, another time, and another place, I suppose.
Sorry, I'm about halfway and don't know what the fuck is going on.
There's a guy who's looking for a guy, who is maybe two guys, or maybe the one guy sort of trained the other guy, and there's a girl, who's maybe dead and maybe not dead. Oh, and the guy looking for the guy keeps getting mistaken for the guy he's looking for. And he's been arrested, I think, maybe twice, but I'm not totally clear on that. Pills, something with trees. Desecrated graves and also kids kidnapped during a tornado. Maybe it becomes clear how this all fits by the end, but I don't think I'm willing to wait that long.
It feels like a failure on my part, but I'm just not excited to get back in, crack the cover and be confused again and again.
There's some great writing in here, some good inner monologue stuff, but I just can't hang with it. It's not something I can hang with for 400+ pages.
I respect that this book almost actively doesn't give a fuck if you can follow it, and maybe there was a time in my life where I was ready for that. As I've aged, clarity has become the most important thing to me in books. If I can see the scene, feel the sensations, and understand a complex situation, I'm happier than I am trying to piece something together.
I respect that this book almost demands you read it a certain way, probably in a binge over a couple days straight. But that's just not the way my life works these days, and I don't think I can interact with this story the way that you have to.
In another life, another time, and another place, I suppose.
May 27, 2019
There is absolutely no way I understood everything within these pages. An elusive serial killer. Victims that die and those that live. A delve into the psychology of those left behind, the victims, and the LEOs that doggedly pursue their prey. At once succinct and and horrific while still steeping the reader in lush prose that envelops the senses. My buddy Don said in his review that it’s one that you need to take your time with and I wholeheartedly agree. I will probably revisit this at some point to see what else I can glean from it. This was my first by SGJ and I’m in love with his writing style.
January 19, 2010
I knew this one was gonna be complex and I wanted to reduce the confusion I often suffer from smaller reading doses, so I embraced masochism and read this in three days.
Absolutely amazing. Rich prose, verby — full of velvety goodness. Even some of the subplots that at first only seem to serve as character-building devices end up being plot-relevant, so pay attention throughout. This may be the most character names ever introduced in one book, Bible excluded. . . Part of me wishes AtBS were about 100 pages (or a few town searches) shorter, but then we'd have been robbed of the brilliant passages that came with them. Every time I'd read one of the agents proclaim the equivalent of "we've got him," I'd feel the weight of the remaining pages in my right hand and realize their delusion.
Well done, Jones!
Absolutely amazing. Rich prose, verby — full of velvety goodness. Even some of the subplots that at first only seem to serve as character-building devices end up being plot-relevant, so pay attention throughout. This may be the most character names ever introduced in one book, Bible excluded. . . Part of me wishes AtBS were about 100 pages (or a few town searches) shorter, but then we'd have been robbed of the brilliant passages that came with them. Every time I'd read one of the agents proclaim the equivalent of "we've got him," I'd feel the weight of the remaining pages in my right hand and realize their delusion.
Well done, Jones!
April 8, 2017
The opening of this book haunts me to this day. This is his best work, in my opinion, but that's like saying sausage is the best pizza. It is a complicated, layered, intense book and it only gets better with each read.
September 1, 2012
This was so good I almost missed my train stop, forgot to give the dogs water, had trouble sleeping, missed the afternoon rain--didn't even realize it was raining until the phone call--and still have shivers thinking about the Tin Man.
If you've read other SGJ novels or stories, you know what to expect or you know that your expectations will be challenged. He's got a sharp mind and ability to make a horror/crime/thriller shine with moments of extreme beauty and sensitivity. Not to mention, the man knows how to pull off a story, make you keep guessing while rocketing you from page to page. I've read six of his novels and one SS collection and I can see this as easily becoming one of my favorites, just by virtue of the many elements at play here and how much is at stake. It's a great book. Enjoy it.
If you've read other SGJ novels or stories, you know what to expect or you know that your expectations will be challenged. He's got a sharp mind and ability to make a horror/crime/thriller shine with moments of extreme beauty and sensitivity. Not to mention, the man knows how to pull off a story, make you keep guessing while rocketing you from page to page. I've read six of his novels and one SS collection and I can see this as easily becoming one of my favorites, just by virtue of the many elements at play here and how much is at stake. It's a great book. Enjoy it.
December 1, 2021
Stephen Graham Jones may have tried to reverse the Thomas Pynchon adage that "the novel of bullshit is dead" with this book. He said in an interview that he always wanted to write something like (Pynchon's) V. and maybe that was the idea behind the design.
Don't go into All the Beautiful Sinners with the idea you're going to read an investigative procedural. There will be technical processes that law enforcement characters follow to capture their villains, but really, this is an immersive book transcending the ordinary crime novel. You've read other reviews of SGJ's books: he writes on his own terms, his own vernacular and his own mythology. It mostly works. It's a trip, it's a giant hallucination, it's a journey through hell. It's 400+ pages of a dismantled serial killer novel and it's open to many interpretations. Leaving some things answered in a way you don't see them coming, or not answered at all, leaves one chewing over what the book is really about. The reader must submerge into its text to fully experience it.
Don't go into All the Beautiful Sinners with the idea you're going to read an investigative procedural. There will be technical processes that law enforcement characters follow to capture their villains, but really, this is an immersive book transcending the ordinary crime novel. You've read other reviews of SGJ's books: he writes on his own terms, his own vernacular and his own mythology. It mostly works. It's a trip, it's a giant hallucination, it's a journey through hell. It's 400+ pages of a dismantled serial killer novel and it's open to many interpretations. Leaving some things answered in a way you don't see them coming, or not answered at all, leaves one chewing over what the book is really about. The reader must submerge into its text to fully experience it.
May 24, 2022
As other have said, this is a complex and challenging book that rewards patience and close attention. It also contains some really messed up stuff. I'll preface my review by saying I read the revised, 2010 version; more on this later.
Jones has said that he got the initial idea for this novel from hearing about someone who kidnapped children in towns devastated by tornados, so that they would likely just be considered one of the missing; sucked up into to the sky to be put down god-knows-where. From that inspiration, you can guess that the book is heading for some dark places.
Any straightforward plot description is going to be misleading. Jones moves around in time and place, dropping small details that need to be meticulously held until they find their place in the overall picture. Like the main characters, the reader is picking up fragments in order to try and put together the "who, what, and why" of it all.
Having said that, here's the bare bones premise of this complex book. It's impossible to describe any of the plot without at least some minor spoilers, but I'll keep it to the first few chapters.
The Tin Man (aka The Fireman) is chasing tornadoes and kidnapping Native American children in the resulting destruction. It's always a brother and sister. Jim Doe should have been one of those children, but he escaped by a fluke. Now a deputy, he's haunted by what might have been his sister’s fate. And it seems The Tin Man is back.
There are two versions of this book. The more recent, e-book version, is significantly pared down from the original. It's much shorter and has far fewer characters. It's the version that Jones has said he considers to be the book he always intended. Given that two of the most common complaints about this book are its length and numerous characters to keep track of, the revised version presents a win-win; so I would definitely recommend starting with it. I was intrigued enough that I ordered the hard copy so I could read the original. I plan to update this review once I've finished it.
Jones has said that he got the initial idea for this novel from hearing about someone who kidnapped children in towns devastated by tornados, so that they would likely just be considered one of the missing; sucked up into to the sky to be put down god-knows-where. From that inspiration, you can guess that the book is heading for some dark places.
Any straightforward plot description is going to be misleading. Jones moves around in time and place, dropping small details that need to be meticulously held until they find their place in the overall picture. Like the main characters, the reader is picking up fragments in order to try and put together the "who, what, and why" of it all.
Having said that, here's the bare bones premise of this complex book. It's impossible to describe any of the plot without at least some minor spoilers, but I'll keep it to the first few chapters.
The Tin Man (aka The Fireman) is chasing tornadoes and kidnapping Native American children in the resulting destruction. It's always a brother and sister. Jim Doe should have been one of those children, but he escaped by a fluke. Now a deputy, he's haunted by what might have been his sister’s fate. And it seems The Tin Man is back.
There are two versions of this book. The more recent, e-book version, is significantly pared down from the original. It's much shorter and has far fewer characters. It's the version that Jones has said he considers to be the book he always intended. Given that two of the most common complaints about this book are its length and numerous characters to keep track of, the revised version presents a win-win; so I would definitely recommend starting with it. I was intrigued enough that I ordered the hard copy so I could read the original. I plan to update this review once I've finished it.
January 16, 2018
I would have a difficult time believing anyone who told me they read this book once and understood everything they were reading, but those parts I did understand were so far out there and so vividly imaginative that there was a night or two where I woke up, opened my eyes, and found the book right in front of me--I literally could not just put it away and go to sleep.
I've been a fan of Stephen Graham Jones' books and stories since I read the first one, but so far in my reading, All the Beautiful Sinners is the most intriguing. I can't say it's the best because they're all great, but it is the one I have to read again...and soon.
It's a complex tale with complex characters; a serial killer novel where the reader is plunged into the psychology of killer, cop, and in a roundabout way, victims. If you're looking for light reading, look elsewhere--and don't read it when you're tired. You'll need all your concentration.
I've been a fan of Stephen Graham Jones' books and stories since I read the first one, but so far in my reading, All the Beautiful Sinners is the most intriguing. I can't say it's the best because they're all great, but it is the one I have to read again...and soon.
It's a complex tale with complex characters; a serial killer novel where the reader is plunged into the psychology of killer, cop, and in a roundabout way, victims. If you're looking for light reading, look elsewhere--and don't read it when you're tired. You'll need all your concentration.
June 9, 2021
I first became aware of Stephen Graham Jones when my fiancé handed me Mongrels and have been looking into more of his writing ever since.
This was his 2nd novel and follows Native American deputy Jim Doe as he is hunting down a child kidnapper & killer known as Tin Man who abducts Native American children when there’s a tornado in the area.
Doe is sucked into the eye of the storm that is the Tin Man when his boss falls victim to the sociopath.
Doe’s past (which includes a sister missing for 20 years) comes crashing into the present and the two intermingle (as do Doe & Tin Man) in a whirlwind that becomes increasingly like a wild fever-dream mish-mash. The story becomes increasingly more unhinged from any form of standard story telling.
I found this to be quite an interesting but undoubtedly challenging read, and I suspect there are so many nuances and undercurrents that I missed during my first read through. Could be interesting to re-read it at some point.
This was his 2nd novel and follows Native American deputy Jim Doe as he is hunting down a child kidnapper & killer known as Tin Man who abducts Native American children when there’s a tornado in the area.
Doe is sucked into the eye of the storm that is the Tin Man when his boss falls victim to the sociopath.
Doe’s past (which includes a sister missing for 20 years) comes crashing into the present and the two intermingle (as do Doe & Tin Man) in a whirlwind that becomes increasingly like a wild fever-dream mish-mash. The story becomes increasingly more unhinged from any form of standard story telling.
I found this to be quite an interesting but undoubtedly challenging read, and I suspect there are so many nuances and undercurrents that I missed during my first read through. Could be interesting to re-read it at some point.
January 15, 2026
you can definitely tell that this is one of his early novels, but it's still really fucking good. classic Jones to take a relatively familiar story/tropes and turn it every which way but loose
November 22, 2025
4.25 stars rounded up
Like every SGJ book, this felt like home while reading. He has a writing style that resonates with me, and I find his books comforting.
That being said, this was a complex story. More than once, I found myself scratching my head and asking, "What the heck is going on?" I would re-read a bit to get my bearings before I could continue.
Lots of characters and time jumps in here. I would like to read it again with pen and paper handy to keep track. It would be worth it.
A multi-layered and smart thriller, ATBS is up there with the best of Stephen Graham Jones.
Like every SGJ book, this felt like home while reading. He has a writing style that resonates with me, and I find his books comforting.
That being said, this was a complex story. More than once, I found myself scratching my head and asking, "What the heck is going on?" I would re-read a bit to get my bearings before I could continue.
Lots of characters and time jumps in here. I would like to read it again with pen and paper handy to keep track. It would be worth it.
A multi-layered and smart thriller, ATBS is up there with the best of Stephen Graham Jones.
June 6, 2024
Very reminiscent of Thomas Harris's Hannibal series. I don't read a lot of FBI stuff so maybe that's why but the vibes were great and the story kept me thinking and guessing. Great characters. 4.5 ⭐
January 25, 2012
This book was amazing. It's really hard to describe without going into too many details, and if you go into fewer details, it takes away from the quality of the story itself.
The book is tagged as "thriller fiction," and the main story involves tracking a serial killer around the country, so you could say it's a crime/mystery novel as well. However, Jones incorporates a lot of unique style into his writing and bends the genre in such a way that it holds its own in the literary world (as opposed to, say, a mass market audience). The pacing of the book is perfect; the switch in focus between main characters keeps too much from happening at once, gives more depth to each character, and allows you to keep guessing, yet keep getting closer and closer to unveiling the truth. Getting into the heads of the "bad guys" offers a really unique spin on the story (and a lot of really bizarre moments besides).
One of the bits I've seen surrounding this book is that it's hard to understand, which I didn't really feel. Jones' writing can be rather dense at times, where you have to re-read a paragraph a few times before sorting it out, but ATBS is a bit less so than other works of his that I've read. If you read it out loud to yourself, or at least pretend to, in your head, you'll usually find that the dialogue actually plays out more naturally than in most novels.
Another bit of criticism I've seen is that, although the author succeeds in keeping you guessing the whole way through the book and keeps throwing in surprises along the way, the reader is intentionally kept in the dark until the characters discover things for themselves. That is, some details aren't revealed until a character brings them up when s/he is about to solve something. I think that's okay... that seems to be somewhat inherent in the detective genre anyway, and, at least in my personal opinion, it's much more frustrating to know something before the characters do and just watch them stumble around a lot before arriving at the same conclusion you did a hundred pages back. It keeps the pacing and reading of the novel intense, and keeps you wanting to find the answers. And you do.
All in all, I highly recommend this book for any fan of fiction. If you're a literature nerd, you'll find enough rich writing to whet your desire for strong prose, and if you just want a really entertaining story, you'll definitely find that as well.
The book is tagged as "thriller fiction," and the main story involves tracking a serial killer around the country, so you could say it's a crime/mystery novel as well. However, Jones incorporates a lot of unique style into his writing and bends the genre in such a way that it holds its own in the literary world (as opposed to, say, a mass market audience). The pacing of the book is perfect; the switch in focus between main characters keeps too much from happening at once, gives more depth to each character, and allows you to keep guessing, yet keep getting closer and closer to unveiling the truth. Getting into the heads of the "bad guys" offers a really unique spin on the story (and a lot of really bizarre moments besides).
One of the bits I've seen surrounding this book is that it's hard to understand, which I didn't really feel. Jones' writing can be rather dense at times, where you have to re-read a paragraph a few times before sorting it out, but ATBS is a bit less so than other works of his that I've read. If you read it out loud to yourself, or at least pretend to, in your head, you'll usually find that the dialogue actually plays out more naturally than in most novels.
Another bit of criticism I've seen is that, although the author succeeds in keeping you guessing the whole way through the book and keeps throwing in surprises along the way, the reader is intentionally kept in the dark until the characters discover things for themselves. That is, some details aren't revealed until a character brings them up when s/he is about to solve something. I think that's okay... that seems to be somewhat inherent in the detective genre anyway, and, at least in my personal opinion, it's much more frustrating to know something before the characters do and just watch them stumble around a lot before arriving at the same conclusion you did a hundred pages back. It keeps the pacing and reading of the novel intense, and keeps you wanting to find the answers. And you do.
All in all, I highly recommend this book for any fan of fiction. If you're a literature nerd, you'll find enough rich writing to whet your desire for strong prose, and if you just want a really entertaining story, you'll definitely find that as well.
May 8, 2018
You know the saying "Too clever by half" ? That's a cool saying. A cool saying that I have no idea what it means. That saying is how I would describe "All the Beautiful Sinners" ; A cool book that I have no idea what it meant. I'm not even sure what the hell happened. There's another saying I like. It's "You're trying too hard". Well, Stephen Graham Jones was definitely trying too hard. The writing style was painfully trying too hard. And a side note ; way to much "shrugging" and "nodding". Nobody said "Yes" or "I don't know". Everybody just shrugged and nodded. I think at the books' climax a character may have actually nodded AND shrugged AT THE SAME TIME, but I was so confused by this point, I missed it.
February 23, 2020
Brilliant. Jones' writing is McCarthy, Hemingway, McDonald, and in no small measure something completely new. A re-imagining of the genre. Read it!
April 30, 2019
I have so much to say, I don't know where to start. Guess I'll start with the 5-star rating and tell you from the outset - this book is probably not for everyone. If you've never read Stephen Graham Jones before, maybe don't start here. And if you haven't read serious crime fiction, maybe don't read this one at all. This isn't "mystery lite."
If you're new, and willing to proceed, I thoroughly encourage you to do so. Start with his short fiction. My first intro to Jones was through The Night Cyclist, free still on Tor.com. I was deeply hooked. Be aware, most of what I've read from this author is what people label "horror." Kind of like putting the Bible in the religion section - everything needs a place to get catalogued.
But you need to go into Stephen Graham Jones' writing with an eye for the bigger picture.
If you do that, his novella, Mapping the Interior, will have the capacity to blow you away.
I'm still behind on his work, myself. I buy when I can, as much as a very limited budget and a tendency to be an indiscriminate book lover will allow. This is my first long, long piece of his fiction I've read. But it is definitely his distinct style.
Jones assumes his readers possess an intellect. He has a tendency to parachute you right into the middle of a plot, also assuming you've been intimately acquainted with the psychology of his main characters for the last 10 years or so. Maybe more.
In my case, with this book, he assumed a little too much with the blonde reader chick, and I kept getting lost. It almost cost him a star 100 pages or so from the finish line. I caught back up by the ending, though. That ending was epic. Real cowboys-and-Indians stuff. Not kidding.
Like I said, though, this one won't be for everyone. It ticked a LOT of boxes for me. I'm from Texas. Scariest scene in The Wizard of Oz was that damn tornado. Forget the flying monkeys, man. And Steely Dan? Are you serious right now? I still prefer Can't Buy a Thrill to Royal Scam, but a girl can't have it all, I guess.
If you can't find it any other way, it's available on Kindle for $10, but it looks like an educational teaching tool. I tracked down a near-mint hardback with the gorgeous cover and damn glad I did. It will sit with pride on my bookshelves til the day I die.
Fan for life.
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Format: Hardcover
Source: Amazon
Current ebook price: $9.49
Opinion of Price: Absolutely worth it for a serious reader
My Cost: $5.97 (+free shipping, don't hate me)
If you're new, and willing to proceed, I thoroughly encourage you to do so. Start with his short fiction. My first intro to Jones was through The Night Cyclist, free still on Tor.com. I was deeply hooked. Be aware, most of what I've read from this author is what people label "horror." Kind of like putting the Bible in the religion section - everything needs a place to get catalogued.
But you need to go into Stephen Graham Jones' writing with an eye for the bigger picture.
If you do that, his novella, Mapping the Interior, will have the capacity to blow you away.
I'm still behind on his work, myself. I buy when I can, as much as a very limited budget and a tendency to be an indiscriminate book lover will allow. This is my first long, long piece of his fiction I've read. But it is definitely his distinct style.
Jones assumes his readers possess an intellect. He has a tendency to parachute you right into the middle of a plot, also assuming you've been intimately acquainted with the psychology of his main characters for the last 10 years or so. Maybe more.
In my case, with this book, he assumed a little too much with the blonde reader chick, and I kept getting lost. It almost cost him a star 100 pages or so from the finish line. I caught back up by the ending, though. That ending was epic. Real cowboys-and-Indians stuff. Not kidding.
Like I said, though, this one won't be for everyone. It ticked a LOT of boxes for me. I'm from Texas. Scariest scene in The Wizard of Oz was that damn tornado. Forget the flying monkeys, man. And Steely Dan? Are you serious right now? I still prefer Can't Buy a Thrill to Royal Scam, but a girl can't have it all, I guess.
If you can't find it any other way, it's available on Kindle for $10, but it looks like an educational teaching tool. I tracked down a near-mint hardback with the gorgeous cover and damn glad I did. It will sit with pride on my bookshelves til the day I die.
Fan for life.
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Format: Hardcover
Source: Amazon
Current ebook price: $9.49
Opinion of Price: Absolutely worth it for a serious reader
My Cost: $5.97 (+free shipping, don't hate me)
February 3, 2009
I really wanted to like All the Beautiful Sinners because I really like Stephen Graham Jones. Not just the man—he’s really nice in person—but the idea of the man: He’s incredibly prolific and writes over several genres, this book being a thriller. By the end though, all the desire I had to enjoy All the Beautiful Sinners had morphed into disappointment.
Deputy Sheriff Jim Doe, a Blackfeet Indian, chases after a killer who gunned down the town’s sheriff and has a history of abducting children. This man is Indian himself, causing several people to confuse the cop with the killer (a point that is amusing and well done). Three FBI profilers also join the hunt, but when Jones isn’t playing the interesting Indian angle, the characters dissolve into stereotypes: There’s the old profiler, Tim Creed, who is full of department credibility and a burning desire to solve the case that got away; the young profiler, Cody Mingus, who brings fresh eyes and fresh mistakes; and Special Agent Sheila Watts, who stands in the middle of their ages and experience. It all feels like a movie that should star Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd (or different actors who were willing to take their roles). Granted, Jones expands the plot beyond a lean script, makes it fit far better into a book than a movie, but there’s still that annoying thriller quirk of being stuck one step behind until the good guys figure out the killer’s convoluted logic. Whether it’s character history you don’t know until later or dialogue that doesn’t quite make sense, I always feel like thrillers unfairly turn over puzzle pieces too late, leaving a confusion that you can’t learn your way out of until the writer lets you. Having a novel full of that trick just ended up rubbing me the wrong way.
Though Jones can convey very specific descriptions, it soon becomes overdone, adding unnecessary points to unnecessary points. Too many words, sometimes syllables of words, get italicized creating too much emphasis. I did like the novel’s commentary on fathers though, what it means to recreate yourself in another person. Jones’ ability to make you feel empathy for victims late in the novel is also impressive. Additionally, there were action sequences so well written that my face contorted in admiration of the oft gory descriptions. The novels sprawls over several dates and locations—marked as chapter headings—and the flashback chapters are among my favorite. Overall though, All the Beautiful Sinners reads like a novel you have to read several times to fully “get it,” but I didn’t get enough the first time around to warrant the repeat treatment. One star.
Deputy Sheriff Jim Doe, a Blackfeet Indian, chases after a killer who gunned down the town’s sheriff and has a history of abducting children. This man is Indian himself, causing several people to confuse the cop with the killer (a point that is amusing and well done). Three FBI profilers also join the hunt, but when Jones isn’t playing the interesting Indian angle, the characters dissolve into stereotypes: There’s the old profiler, Tim Creed, who is full of department credibility and a burning desire to solve the case that got away; the young profiler, Cody Mingus, who brings fresh eyes and fresh mistakes; and Special Agent Sheila Watts, who stands in the middle of their ages and experience. It all feels like a movie that should star Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd (or different actors who were willing to take their roles). Granted, Jones expands the plot beyond a lean script, makes it fit far better into a book than a movie, but there’s still that annoying thriller quirk of being stuck one step behind until the good guys figure out the killer’s convoluted logic. Whether it’s character history you don’t know until later or dialogue that doesn’t quite make sense, I always feel like thrillers unfairly turn over puzzle pieces too late, leaving a confusion that you can’t learn your way out of until the writer lets you. Having a novel full of that trick just ended up rubbing me the wrong way.
Though Jones can convey very specific descriptions, it soon becomes overdone, adding unnecessary points to unnecessary points. Too many words, sometimes syllables of words, get italicized creating too much emphasis. I did like the novel’s commentary on fathers though, what it means to recreate yourself in another person. Jones’ ability to make you feel empathy for victims late in the novel is also impressive. Additionally, there were action sequences so well written that my face contorted in admiration of the oft gory descriptions. The novels sprawls over several dates and locations—marked as chapter headings—and the flashback chapters are among my favorite. Overall though, All the Beautiful Sinners reads like a novel you have to read several times to fully “get it,” but I didn’t get enough the first time around to warrant the repeat treatment. One star.
March 3, 2014
I wanted to like this more than I ultimately did. It has a great opening, and I was drawn in to the story, even when I didn't know exactly what was going on -- the writing is almost deceptively simple, but God help you if you aren't paying attention to every word -- but I felt the backstory and the plot moved from complicated to convoluted. Sometimes, it felt all over the map -- literally as well as figuratively, I suppose. I liked the main protagonist, Jim Doe, but I was often frustrated by a lot of the good guys' decisions -- they seemed to unnecessarily and stupidly be putting themselves in dangerous situations. And the conclusion just didn't work for me, which is why the rating ultimately dipped down to two stars. I do really like a lot of the lines, though -- Stephen Graham Jones constructs sentences in such an interesting way. They're very sharp and darkly funny. I just wish the story worked better for me.
September 10, 2017
The underlying story deserves 5 stars, the pacing, delivery and writing deserves 3, so I'm giving it 4. A slow start, but not so slow it lost my interest, but oddly the story didn't seem to really emerge for me until 150 pages or so in. Or maybe the story changed at that point, revealed itself, and that's when it became really appealing. Initially I didn't understand the comparisons made in the blurbs for this book, to Red Dragon and other similar books, but by the end it fulfilled the promise. My greatest frustration had to do with how hard this was to follow at times. The prose is wonderful, inventive, nothing like I read from other authors. Jones is amazing at crafting his words to draw you in and make you feel the story. In this instance, I feel like it lacked about 10% more editing or polish to smooth out the edges of confusion of subject, place and time. It's an early example of this author's work though, and having read later stories I know how polished he is.
January 24, 2023
All The Beautiful Sinners. This Novel deserves all the stars that I can give it. I havent been addicted to a book like this in a long time. It kept me spellbound, hypnotized, glued to the pages. I couldnt put it down, and when life would finally get in the way and force me to, all I could think about was when I was going to get the free time to pick it back up. I am in love with Stephen Graham Jones style. Since i've found him I just can't seem to get enough and i love when this happens. I live for this. Find a new author. New to you. That resonates with you and you just want to consume their entire bookography. This is SGJ's 2nd novel and coincidentally enough the 2nd novel of his that I have read. I'm honestly shocked that it's not a movie yet. Or even better a Television Series. Or at the very least Season 3 of True Detective.
March 4, 2018
Alternating between the real and the illusory, All the Beautiful Sinners can be a challenging read. But the story is well worth the read and revisits for its densely rich prose and strongly imaginative surrealism. With an hypnotic quality similar to that experienced with Dermaphoria, the frequent comparison of SGJ to Craig Clevenger feels most apt.
December 17, 2015
Stephen Graham Jones does not disappoint with this book. I enjoyed this a lot. His writing just sucks me in and grabs on for dear life. I couldn't put this one down. Looking forward to reading more of his work.
February 17, 2021
I adored Mongrels by SGJ and was eager to read another of his books. This one was intriguing, it was good, but I didn't love it. I did get confused at times and the story dragged a bit but considering I'm not usually a fan of crime novels, I did enjoy it.
October 5, 2020
This story centers on a Native American named Jim Doe. When he was a child, a tornado hit his hometown. His sister and best friend disappeared and were presumed killed. Jim is haunted by this tragedy feeling that he should have been able to save them. Jim suspects that the two were kidnapped by a figure dressed in a fireman suit. In his dreams he identifies this man as the Indian. Jim is taken in by the sheriff and joins the police force. When the sheriff is killed by a man that matches the description of the Indian, Jim sets out to capture him. Jim also hopes to find out what happened to his sister and his friend.
The story is suspenseful, as you don’t know for sure what is real or part of his imagination. The plot is complicated by two Texas Rangers who are after the same suspect. It develops that children come up missing after tornadoes in other areas. Are these cases connected or coincidence?
The story is suspenseful, as you don’t know for sure what is real or part of his imagination. The plot is complicated by two Texas Rangers who are after the same suspect. It develops that children come up missing after tornadoes in other areas. Are these cases connected or coincidence?
January 16, 2026
This one follows Sheriff Jim Doe, a Native American lawman obsessed with catching the Tin Man, a serial killer who snatches and murders pairs of kids. Just as Jim is deep in the decade-long investigation, a Native man shoplifts, kills a sheriff, and—surprise!—has two decaying bodies in his trunk that match the Tin Man’s MO. Cue Jim hitting the road, chasing leads across the country, and diving back into the terrifying case he can’t let go.
This is classic Stephen Graham Jones crime territory: a creepy serial killer plot laced with psychological terror and Native American folklore that adds an unsettling, layered vibe. While it didn’t quite hit the same highs as some of his other works for me, it’s still a solid, tense read for anyone who enjoys a good dark mystery with a touch of cultural depth.
This is classic Stephen Graham Jones crime territory: a creepy serial killer plot laced with psychological terror and Native American folklore that adds an unsettling, layered vibe. While it didn’t quite hit the same highs as some of his other works for me, it’s still a solid, tense read for anyone who enjoys a good dark mystery with a touch of cultural depth.
March 18, 2019
It is not a fast nor easy read. I found the prose rather confusing sometimes. The author had a tendency to write people speaking the way people sometimes speak instead of in complete, coherent sentences. The subject had a lot of violence with children, which is always hard to read. I also got confused sometimes about what was "real" and what was "imagined" in the book, and the different trails for the killer(s). Finally, the main character was supposed to be stoic, but often just felt one-dimensional.
However, the narrative was interesting. I'm not a fan of thrillers often, so I think someone else might enjoy this book much more than me.
However, the narrative was interesting. I'm not a fan of thrillers often, so I think someone else might enjoy this book much more than me.
December 19, 2025
Fantastic detective thriller (think Se7en, Cure), with the weather elements of Twister. Close to another 5* SGJ novel, and would be if I hadn't struggled to keep all the narrative threads in my head on a couple of occasions. Lots of characters, complex interactions and relationships between them, spread over many years at points. It'll probably benefit from a re-read or maybe some note taking during.
Compelling story and the kind of prose that just clicks with me, though. Strong 9/10, and shows he had the juice almost from the very start
Compelling story and the kind of prose that just clicks with me, though. Strong 9/10, and shows he had the juice almost from the very start
January 26, 2024
I enjoyed this but found it pretty frustrating, too. A serial killer story for people who turn their noses up at serial killer stories. A 3.5 rating.
Story, characters and atmosphere were decent, but it felt ephemeral and an exercise in style over substance. My impression is one of SGJ trying on a style of writing and it not really suiting him. Throughout I was on the cusp of loving this/putting it down in frustration over its oblique style.
Story, characters and atmosphere were decent, but it felt ephemeral and an exercise in style over substance. My impression is one of SGJ trying on a style of writing and it not really suiting him. Throughout I was on the cusp of loving this/putting it down in frustration over its oblique style.
March 23, 2025
A journey to find a serial killer becomes much, much more. The main character has a history with the killer, who uses tornadoes to cover his tracks. Now a new serial killer is coming around, and he kind of looks like the main character. It has whispers of a slasher and shouts of a mystery. There’s some powerful stuff happening behind the words. The vibes are part Western, part police procedural. Just awesome. Early SGJ is fascinating and phenomenal.
March 29, 2018
I was so pleased to find this book at a local bookstore - I've really enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones' other works, and this was no exception. It's creepy and compelling, moving forward in an exponential sort of way - slow at first, and then gathering speed more and more quickly, building a world that mixes fantasy and reality perfectly. I loved it, and I'll definitely be passing it on to others!
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