Bodies of Work is one of the stories that grabs you almost instantly, not because of shocking moments, but more so due to the slow, creeping unease that hooked into me. Clay McLeod Chapman continues to prove why he is a fantastic horror writer with this short but impactful novella. Chapman delivers a dark, intimate tale that is both unsettling and reflective. It’s the kind of story that gets under your skin with a feeling of dread and atmosphere, making every page feel deliberate. It was a quick read, mostly due to not being able to put it down.
At sixty-six years old, Winston Kemper has always been a nonentity. No one notices him. His simple existence barely registers for those who come into contact with him. Some call him feeble-minded. He is a janitor at the local church, a groundskeeper by default, and that’s it. No friends, no family. When he’s done with work, he returns home—a remote, single room apartment located above a garage—and that is where his true work begins.
Winston Kemper is a collector of voices, and his magnum opus—The Butterfly Girls—is a sprawling epic of untapped imagination. It has no single canvas, no particular frame. It is everywhere—scribbled on the walls, the floor, and countless notebooks.
Winston is creating a fantasia which exists in words, images and blood. As part of his ‘art’ he has been murdering forgotten women. Poor souls who slip through the cracks of society, who no one’s looking for. Mothers, sisters, daughters to someone, but no more.
Winston takes their lives, their voices. But now he can hear them. They whisper to him. They talk of revenge. Winston Kemper might not believe in ghosts, but he is about to learn they are very real. And they are very, very angry.
Bodies of Work is not just a great story, but a uniquely written novella. Chapman uses this format deliberately when telling this story and it works so well. The structure feels a bit unconventional, almost cinematic in the way that screams movie adaptation. It’s a way of storytelling that immerses the reader in the tale in a fresh way. Voices bleed into the narrative (memories, victims, and inner monologue) to create a layered effect I haven’t seen much in books, keeping us on our feet. It’s not just a story being told, it’s an experience that is unfolding page by page.
Chapman has a real talent for horror storytelling and it is evident again in Bodies of Work. He does a fantastic job blending psychological unease with surreal, unsettling imagery, to create scenes that are disturbing yet beautiful. The horror is just about the acts that take place, but how it feels. Chapman understands restraint when needed, letting the atmosphere and structure do much of the work, making the story hit just that much harder, and stay with you long after.
Using the novella format to tell this story works so well. There is no excess filler, every moment feels intentional and tightly controlled. Bodies of Work is a complete, haunting story without overstaying its welcome. This is a testament to the different types of horror stories. The compact format hits just as hard as a longer novel.
Bodies of Work by Clay McLeod Chapman is a compact, tightly written story filled with creeping dread and unease. While I am always down for a longer Chapman horror story, this one hit just right.
Bodies of Work hits bookstores everywhere on April 7, 2026 from Titan Books. The audiobook, narrated by Hannah Cabell, is available for preorder via Libro.fm!
