We Already Dug the Grave
Updated: Sep 3
By: Emma C. Wells
Narrator: Sophie Amoss ISBN: 9781464218651
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: 09/08/2026
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
"This is the kind of book readers love to devour: family secrets, people trying to escape their predetermined roles, and a good dash of the supernatural all blended together in a story that's ultimately about love and loyalty."
— Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestseller
From the USA Today bestselling author of This Girl's a Killer, comes a southern gothic thriller with the bite of Sharp Objects and a dash of Practical Magic, following two estranged sisters who will do anything to protect each other – even murder. Again.
Milly can't divine the future anymore, and maybe that's a good thing. Lately, her life has been bleak enough, she doesn't need the now-silent tea leaves to tell her. Meanwhile, her estranged younger sister thrives miles away in a shiny new life with a shiny new marriage. Milly doesn't blame Francis for wanting nothing to do with her. Not after what happened in that Tennessee meadow a decade before.
But when Francis shows up on Milly's doorstep with a black eye and a plea for help – Milly can't say no. Especially when the tea leaves are finally crystal clear: if the sisters don't kill Francis's husband, he'll kill her.
And if they're going to plot a murder, the sisters have no choice but to return to the one place they'd left behind. A place where another body – and a multitude of secrets – were buried. Because this isn't the first time the sisters have needed to dispose of a bad man. In fact, they might be pretty good at it.
Buy the Book
My Review
Blood Is Thicker Than Water, But Secrets Are Deep as Graves
Intro
We Already Dug the Grave by Emma C. Wells is a twisted, atmosphere-dripping Southern Gothic psychological thriller that seamlessly blends the dark, gritty family dysfunction of modern thrillers with a bewitching touch of the supernatural.
The Hook
What do you do when your estranged sister shows up on your doorstep with a black eye, and the tea leaves reveal a terrifying truth? If you don’t kill her husband first, he is going to kill her.
Elevator Pitch
Think "Sharp Objects" meets "Practical Magic." Two estranged sisters, bonded by a dark childhood secret and a generational gift for reading tea leaves, must reunite to plot a murder—forcing them to return to the Tennessee meadow where they buried their very first body.
Setting
The humid, sleepy gulf coast where Milly waitresses. A decaying, atmospheric Tennessee town filled with family graveyards and rundown houses.
Vibe
Witchy, eerie, and deeply atmospheric. A slow-creeping sense of dread mixed with sharp, modern "cool girl" edge.
Genre
Southern Gothic Thriller / Psychological Suspense / Supernatural elements.
Themes
~Generational trauma and abusive upbringings.
~The fierce, complicated limits of sisterly loyalty.
~Superstition vs. contemporary reality
Standout Characters
~Milly Robinson: The cynical, mouthy elder sister who has abandoned her family’s supernatural gift of "the Sight" to work as a lonely server.
~Francis Robinson: The younger sister who seemingly escaped into a shiny, wealthy life but harbors deep scars.
~The Vigilante Aunts: The eccentric, feared women who raised the girls and hold the town’s secrets.
Author Writing Standout
Emma C. Wells shines at crafting unreliable, razor-sharp female protagonists who are delightfully messy yet intensely fierce. Her ability to juxtapose ancient superstitions like tessomancy with the modern era creates a unique, inescapable voice.
Takeaway
You can run miles away from your past and change your name, but generational trauma has a way of tracking you down. True sisterhood means being willing to hold the shovel.
Title Significance
"We Already Dug the Grave" highlights that murder and burying secrets isn't new territory for these sisters. They've quite literally done it before, and the grave of their past is waiting to swallow them back up.
Metaphor
The Tea Leaves. They represent the unescapable nature of the sisters' past and future. Try as Milly might to wash her hands of her heritage, the truth always settles at the bottom of the cup.
Why You Should Read
Read this if you love complicated women, witchy aesthetics, small-town secrets, and a thriller that values deep character development just as much as its shocking plot twists.
My Thoughts
WE ALREADY DUG THE GRAVE pulls you in from the very first sentence. The bond between Milly and Francis is beautifully raw and complicated; they don't always like each other, but their shared trauma makes them an unstoppable force. The pacing builds a marvelous tension, and the integration of tea-leaf reading gives it an eerie, magical realist edge without ever losing the grit of a true psychological thriller. The central sister dynamic completely anchors the story.
Verdict 4 / 5 Stars "A dark, southern-fried Gothic ride that you will easily inhale in a few sittings."
Recs or read alikes
~Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (For the witchy sisterhood and aunts).
~Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (For the dark family trauma and grim southern setting).
~Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell (For the contemporary dark wit).
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Sep 8, 2026
Sept 2026 Must-Read Books
Praise
“Emma C. Wells delivers a tense psychological thriller rich in sisterhood, the supernatural, and Southern Gothic moodiness in We Already Dug the Grave. From the book's powerful first sentence, a strong cast of female characters who are both messy and fierce weave an emotionally raw story that explores the limits of loyalty and the price of betrayal.”
— Darby Kane, #1 international bestselling author of Pretty Little Wife
“Emma C Wells expertly writes the exact kind of women I love to read about: mouthy and unreliable with razor-sharp wit and plenty of secrets. Buckle up for a deep South hell-ride through a twisted past while careening off the cliff of a precarious future with a pair of sisters I rooted for all the way down. Loved it.”
— Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Missing Sister
“Southern gothic at its finest. A haunting, twisted, beautifully creepy thriller. Emma C. Wells has done it again!”
— Jennifer Moorhead, bestselling author of Broken Bayou and Poison Wood
“We Already Dug the Grave is Southern Gothic for the contemporary era, perfect for fans of Practical Magic. There are tea leaves intermixed with Instagram posts. There's a little bit of magic, vigilante aunts, two sisters, and a slew of deaths. However you like your tea served, this book has something for you.”
— Tasha Coryell, author of Love Letters to a Serial Killer
“An absolutely inescapable thrill ride from the first body to the last! Two sisters so complex that I was whole-heartedly rooting for them through each and every devastating reveal and new gruesome undertaking. I couldn’t put this one down.”
— Amy K. Green, author of The Prized Girl and Haven’t Killed in Years
"I absolutely inhaled We Already Dug the Grave in two poolside sittings, and not even the hot summer sun could fight my creeping sense of dread. Wells’ delivers a witchy southern gothic setting which lends itself perfectly to Milly and Francis—sisters who bury bodies together and keep their secrets firmly to themselves."
— Marlee Bush, author of Whispers of Dead Girls
About the Author
EMMA C. WELLS loves anti-heroes, dark humor, witty banter, and ride-or-die friendships. Twisty relationships are her kryptonite (or catnip―depending on how you look at it). THIS GIRL’S A KILLER is her debut novel. Emma lives in Louisiana where the novel is based. WEBSITE
