Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: A Horror Mystery of a Chinese American Crime Scene Cleaner, Serial Killers and Hungry Ghosts

Cora Zeng works as a crime scene cleaner in Chinatown, removing the remains of murders and suicides. Her life changes when her sister Delilah is pushed in front of a train; before fleeing, the killer shouts two words: bat eater. Cora becomes consumed by anxiety about germs, contamination, and hidden viruses. Since witnessing her sister's death, she struggles to distinguish between reality and her own mind. She ignores her aunt's warnings to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. As Cora continues her work, she notices disturbing patterns: bat carcasses appearing at crime scenes and a series of bodies belonging to East Asian women. The novel follows Cora as she confronts inner trauma, supernatural forces, and a serial killer while grappling with the violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.