Bad Things: A Novel

by Michael Marshall

Overview

“Marshall recalls Stephen King’s ability to set a story in the world of the commonplace, then suddenly jolt it into a more hellish realm.”

—New York Times

 

Bad things have always happened in Black Ridge, Washington—and Michael Marshall, the acclaimed, bestselling, Phillip K. Dick Award-winning author of The Intruders (“Scary brilliance” —Baltimore Sun) and Straw Men (“Brilliantly written and scary as hell” —Stephen King), lets readers experience all the exceptional nastiness. Marshall’s Bad Things is an electrifying combination of psychological suspense, mystery, horror, and paranormal activity that no fan of ingenious, intelligent thrillers will want to miss.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061774676
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/26/2009
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	540
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Marshall is the author of the trilogy that includes The Straw Men, The Upright Man, and Blood of Angels, as well as the stand-alone novels The Servants, The Intruders, Bad Things, and Killer Move. He also works as a screenwriter for clients in London and Los Angeles, and is currently writing a television pilot set in New York City. He lives in London, England, with his wife and son.

Editorial Reviews

This spooky tale shows Marshall...has a knack not only for the frisson of dread but also the telling psychological insight.” — Publishers Weekly on BAD THINGS

“A genuinely scary thriller with satisfyingly malevolent villains.” — The Sun Herald (Sydney) on BAD THINGS

“Marshall builds up suspense slowly . . . Black Ridge – like the Maine towns populated by Stephen King’s characters – is not a place you want to visit.” — Booklist on BAD THINGS

“This is a psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you up at nights.” — Arcadian Lifestyle

“Fast-moving, sinister and highly accomplished…This is ferocious story-telling of the highest order, with corkscrew twists and turns that make it deliciously scary as the secrets unfold.” — Daily Mail (London) on BAD THINGS

“Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.” — www.BookReporter.com on BAD THINGS

“taut action and appealing characters” — San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher

Marshall builds up suspense slowly . . . Black Ridge – like the Maine towns populated by Stephen King’s characters – is not a place you want to visit.

Booklist on BAD THINGS

A genuinely scary thriller with satisfyingly malevolent villains.

The Sun Herald (Sydney) on BAD THINGS

Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.

www.BookReporter.com on BAD THINGS

taut action and appealing characters

San Francisco Chronicle

Fast-moving, sinister and highly accomplished…This is ferocious story-telling of the highest order, with corkscrew twists and turns that make it deliciously scary as the secrets unfold.

Daily Mail (London) on BAD THINGS

This is a psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you up at nights.

Arcadian Lifestyle

taut action and appealing characters

San Francisco Chronicle

A genuinely scary thriller with satisfyingly malevolent villains.

The Sun Herald (Sydney)

Marshall builds up suspense slowly . . . Black Ridge – like the Maine towns populated by Stephen King’s characters – is not a place you want to visit.

Booklist

Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.

BookReporter.com

Fast-moving, sinister and highly accomplished…This is ferocious story-telling of the highest order, with corkscrew twists and turns that make it deliciously scary as the secrets unfold.

Daily Mail (London)

Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.

BookReporter.com on BAD THINGS

At the start of this unsettling novel of supernatural suspense from bestseller Marshall (The Intruders), four-year-old Scott Henderson dies from no apparent cause after falling into a lake in Black Ridge, Wash. The boy's devastated parents, John and Carol, divorce, and both leave the area. Three years later, John is lured back to Black Ridge by a chilling message from a woman who says she knows what killed his son-a siren call that John can't ignore. John's return is a trigger for other ominous events that will lead him to relive Scott's death and confront the dissolution of his former life. The small town's surface normality contrasts nicely with the unnerving behavior of some residents and even inanimate objects (e.g., cars that suddenly won't start). While much of what's going on doesn't make a lot of sense, this spooky tale shows Marshall (who writes horror and SF as Michael Marshall Smith) has a knack not only for the frisson of dread but also the telling psychological insight. (May)

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Publishers Weekly