From Publishers Weekly
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) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“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 )