Customer Reviews

The Bad Seed

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Bad Seed by Lee Hayes is comprised of two novellas. The main characters in each story are highly manipulative individuals that are totally unconcerned about the feelings of others. In "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues," we meet Blues who is married to a much older, wealthy man who is in ailing health. The old man is taking his good ole sweet time about dying, which pisses off Blues. Impatient to get rid of his nuisance of a spouse, Blues takes matters into his own hands and begins cooking up a murder scheme.

In "Crazy in Love," a high school student develops a crush on his hot male teacher. But a teen-age crush soon turns into a deadly obsession. And only God can help anyone that the over-sexed teen considers a rival for his teacher's affection.

Lee Hayes is a masterful story teller, giving the reader a glimpse into the minds of sociopaths...charming, good-looking, sexy, intelligent, yet diabolical people who seem to be in a constant state of feeding their insatiable wants and sexual desires without any concern for others. I am a huge fan of Lee's work, and knew that I was going to love The Bad Seed before turning the first page. Lee delivers a well-written, fast-paced thriller that you will find very hard to put down.

I have to be honest and tell you that I brought THE BAD SEED because of its cover. I thought that it would be another story only about sex and lust. However, I was wrong. The novellas in THE BAD SEED was well-written and a pager turner. I could not put the book down once I began to read it. Both characters in each novella: Blues and Brandon, are emotionally damaged beyond redemption. This book provides the reader with a glimpse of twisted love and greed that sets the tone of the book with a dark and edgy fast paced story. The ending was not expected and all I could say was "WOW"--this story has to continue!

This book is a excellent read! I've been a fan of Lee Hayes' work since 2006, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Lee Hayes' The Bad Seed is combined by two novellas, in which each protagonist comes off as both diabolical and conniving. Both characters are bending to have things go their way by ANY means necessary.

In the first novella, "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues", we are introduced to Blues, who is married to an older, rich man in poor health. With Blues being unhappy and feeling "trapped" in the marriage, he comes up with a twisted plan to murder his husband.

In the second novella, "Crazy in Love", we find out that a high school student, Brandon, has a crush on his English teacher. The crush then turns into a crazed obsession and a horrific situation.

Lee Hayes has once again created another hit! The novel has so many twists and turns, once you think you had everything figured out, Hayes throw another twist in that will leave you on the edge of your seat while reading! I recommended all my friends to purchase this book, and I hope you all will do the same.

Sorry, folks, but as a lover of GOOD gay fiction, I was very disappointed in these novellas. The author employs so many trite cliches and metaphors that it hinders any enjoyment of the plot. To wit, with even the first paragraph: "jagged rocks that jutted up from the ground like the fangs of an enormous primordial beast," followed shortly (still on page 1!) by "the chilling sound of death." As for plot, once the reader realizes that the premise of the book is that some people are evil through and through AND get away with it, the plot takes some unusual twists, but ends up with a predictable outcome. Even with the triumph of evil, there is little believable in the stories, particularly in the second story, "Crazy in Love." Without revealing any of the story line, suffice it to say that it is beyond belief that a teacher could be as naive and gullible as the one in Mr. Hayes novel is made out to be. Although I read through to the end, with frequent groans for the unrelenting implausibility and poor writing, I felt cheated that I had wasted any time on this book.

The Bad Seed is an excellent novel that tells the stories of two young men struggling with inner demons. I read this book in less than a day because I had a hard time putting it down. It flows effortlessly, the main characters, while flawed, are written in a way that will have you rooting for them even when they are at their worst.

Lee Hayes has returned with an exciting book of novellas sure to keep you interested from the first page to the last. In both stories, Lee introduces us to two main characters that lead us on twists, turns, and emotional highs and lows with their manipulative and downright dirty actions to service their selfish needs to feel loved. In "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues," the main character, Blues struggles with the memories of a fateful night in his past that deeply affect the way he lives his life today dealing with relationships with others - mainly his husband whom he feels no real connection with other than the financial security he provides. To gain it all, Blues stops at nothing in plotting and scheming, lying and cheating - even deception and death. "Crazy In Love" brings forth a misguided young man who has developed a fatal attraction towards his teacher. Like Blues in the last story, Brandon pulls out all of the stops in this compelling saga about a boy desparate for the affection of a teacher who wants nothing to do with him in the way he craves. Brandon sneaks around and toys with the emotions of those who dare get in the way of his love interest - strangers and family alike. Both stories will excite you as they reach their tumultuous climaxes but the ending will surely leave you wanting for more. Another winner for Lee Hayes for sure.

Lee Hayes has always been a consummate author, a breath of fresh air among most modern authors who specialize in the urban/alternative genre, though not limited to it. I remember reading his first novel, "Passion Marks", and prayed that he would be able to continue putting out such quality material; I have yet to be disappointed.

"The Bad Seed" continues Mr. Hayes' skill in keeping the reader on edge, intrigued, and anxious to skip paragraphs JUST to see what happens next. His characters can be abstract, but they are also easily able to be related to, which allows the reader to personify the novel. You end up feeling like you're witnessing the stories instead of just reading them.

Looking forward to the next page-turner...

The Bad Seed - Lee Hayes

The two novellas in this book are sure to capture your attention from the first page and keep you engrossed on the journey of both Blue & Brandon until the bitter end. Blue & Brandon are both nice looking manipulative men concerned with only their selfish desires. There was never a dull moment in either of these stories. The stories packed with plot twists that you won't see coming yet intertwined perfectly. Bravo to Mr. Hayes for crafting yet another great piece of work.

This is my first time reading a book by Lee Hayes and I must say it blew me away. I read the book literally in one day. It was very hard for me to put down. From the first page it totally got my interest. I am looking forward to reading all of Mr. Hayes' books. He is now one of my favorite authors. I recommend this book to everyone.

5 yrs ago, I picked up "Passion Marks" for what I thought was going to be a painful and boring experience; one that I would soon forget. I was wrong! I am so excited about the Lee Hayes projects. This book was more of a movie to me, his descriptive phrasing was unbelievable. I laughed out loud, I had several jaw dropping moments, and I clapped my hands with excitement. This was a literary sport event with all the provocative imagery I needed to lick my iPad screen.

5 yrs ago a reader posted a review about "Passion Marks" , he called it a simple read and stated Lee did not challenge him, Im paraphrasing. I say to that gentleman now KICK ROCKS SIR!