Bad Thoughts (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) [Hardcover]

Dave Zeltserman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Five Star First Edition Mystery | Publication Date: July 18, 2007

From acclaimed author Dave Zeltserman comes a dark, captivating thriller unlike any you’ve ever seen, a killer unlike any you’ve ever imagined, and an ending unlike any you’ve ever dreamed of.

One afternoon 13 year-old Billy Shannon comes home to a living nightmare. His mother being brutally murdered is only the beginning…

20 years later, Bill Shannon is now a cop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the twenty-year anniversary of his mother’s death is approaching, women are being murdered in the same horrific grisly fashion. And while this is going on, he’s having blackouts which only seem to be getting worse…

Everything seems to be pointing to one of two possibilities: Shannon has gone insane or his mom’s killer is back to his old tricks. Except if it’s mom’s killer, he’s come back a long way to do these new killings… all the way from the grave.

Bad Thoughts is approximately 75,000 words long.

Praise for Bad Thoughts:

"A compellingly clever wheels-within-wheels thriller. An ingenious plot, skillfully executed" Elliott Swanson, Booklist

"This fast-paced, gritty psychological tale balances the fine line between mystery and horror" Library Journal

“Bad Thoughts is an ambitious genre-bender combining the paranoia and existential dread of the best noir with a liberal dash of The Twilight Zone. Not to be missed.” Poisoned Pen's Booknews

"Dark, brutal, captivating -- this is one hell of a book, the kind of book that doesn't let go of you once you start it. Dave Zeltserman is clearly the real deal." Steve Hamilton

Praise for OUTSOURCED

"A dark, lightening-paced read" Financial Times

"A small gem of crime fiction" Booklist

"Outsourced is a dryly witty take on the heist caper genre... fast-paced action romp" London Times

"Bodies mount up as the double dealing and revenge gather apace. The blurb on the book describes it as a "fast-paced, edge-of-your seat crime novel," and it really does live up to the hype. Add this to your holiday reading list for a piece of escapism." Morning Star

"A finely paced, witty and stylish take on the heist caper novel. More than most authors churning out mysteries, Zeltserman is fully steeped in the conventions of crime fiction. He remains absolutely his own hard man." The Australian

Praise for THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD

"delicious horror-ish novel" Newsday

"Superb mix of humor and horror" Publishers Weekly, starred review

"superbly crafted horror story" Booklist

"Harrowing. Zeltserman colors it black with the best of them." Kirkus Reviews

"a very darkly funny dark fantasy" Locus Magazine

"THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD succeeds as a horror novel, a psychological thriller and a haunting parable, even in some ways that Zeltserman may not have intended. There are dark levels to this work, some of which are immediately evident and others of which reveal themselves only upon later reflection. I don’t know if the book will come to be regarded as a classic, either now or at some point in the future, but it deserves to be." BookReporter

Dave Zeltserman won the 2010 Shamus Award for 'Julius Katz' and is the acclaimed author of the ‘man out of prison’ noir trilogy: Small Crimes, Pariah and Killer, where Small Crimes (2008) and Pariah (2009) were both picked by the Washington Post as best books of the year. His recent The Caretaker of Lorne Field received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, calling it a 'superb mix of humor and horror', has been shortlisted by ALA for best horror novel of 2010, and is a finalist for a Black Quill Award for best dark genre book of the year. His upcoming book Outsourced (2011) has already been called 'a small gem of crime fiction' by Booklist and has been optioned by Impact Pictures and Constantin Film and is currently under development.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Zeltserman's unconvincing third thriller (after Fast Lane), Cambridge, Mass., detective Bill Shannon dreads every February 10th, the anniversary of the day his mother was brutally murdered in their California home when Bill was 13. Around the anniversary, Bill suffers from debilitating blackouts that often cause long stretches of amnesia. As the 20th anniversary approaches, the blackouts become more severe, disrupting Bill's work and home life. Soon he's spiraling out of control, unsure how to tell reality from nightmare. A series of gruesome slayings have Bill questioning whether he himself could be responsible and terrified that Herbert Winters, his mother's killer, has come back to claim him. Crime novelists from Robert B. Parker to Dennis Lehane have found fertile ground in a similar premise and setting, but Zeltserman falls short of their standard. Bill Shannon lacks the depth required for a character who walks the line between victim and potential killer, and instead collapses into stereotype.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

A compellingly clever wheels-within-wheels thriller, Zeltserman's new novel blends genres in a subtle mix that will appeal to both mystery and horror fans. Police detective Bill Shannon's dreams are being invaded by images of horrific violence, but the source of the intrusion remains shadowed until the harrowing conclusion of the novel, a homage to the Australian Aboriginal concept of "Dreamtime." The reader will be kept guessing as to whether the psychologically hammered cop is being revisited by his own guilt or whether there's an outside factor involved in his recurring visions of murdering his own mother. The resolution of the novel clearly indicates the possibility of sequels to come, so if you want to get in on the ground floor, now's the time. An ingenious plot, skillfully executed. Elliott Swanson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 279 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (July 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594145407
• ISBN-13: 978-1594145407
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,798,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dave Zeltserman is the Shamus award winning author of 'Julius Katz', and the Ellery Queen's Readers Choice Award winner for 'Archie's Been Framed'. His 'man out of prison' crime noir series features the novels Small Crimes, Pariah and Killer, with Small Crimes being selected by NPR as one of the five best crime novels of 2008 and by the Washington Post as one of the best novels of 2008, and Pariah selected by the Washington Post as one of the best novels of 2009. His novel The Caretaker of Lorne Field was short listed by the ALA for best horror novel of 2010 as well as being nominated for a Black Quill Award for best dark genre novel of the year. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Dave attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, and after graduating with a BS in Applied Math and Computer Science, returned back to the Boston area where he continues to reside with his wife, Judy. After spending 20 years developing network management software for several of the world's leading technology companies, he now splits his time between writing crime fiction and studying martial arts, where he holds a black belt in Kung Fu. His crime novels Outsourced and A Killer's Essence have both been optioned for film.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unorthodox Means Good, May 5, 2010

By 

Frank S. Scalise "aka Frank Zafiro, author of... (Spokane, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bad Thoughts (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

BAD THOUGHTS is not your typical mystery or crime fiction novel. It reminds me more of something along the lines of the Denzel Washington movie, "Fallen." Something that starts out seeming like crime fiction and becomes something spookier. Zeltserman gives the term "psychological thriller" new meaning, writing in a carefully controlled but seemingly scattered fashion that makes the reader as edgy as the protagonist. Give this one a whirl, especially if you're looking for something off the beaten path. Expect to read it in just a few sittings, though. Once it starts rocking, it really rolls.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a must read for thriller fans, July 26, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bad Thoughts (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Considering the trauma he experienced when he was thirteen years old and the emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, Billy Shannon grew up to be a fine man and a fantastic police officer. However, a few weeks before the anniversary of his mother's death, he begins to dream but they are no ordinary nocturnal reveries. This year he dreams of a woman who was murdered and from his mind he pulls out the real time location of where her body is located.

He experiences his usual blackout after he goes on his yearly "binge" but this time the dreams don't stop. Two other murders occur to women and in the same manner in which his mom was murdered, a knife in her throat by drifter Herbert Winters. All the evidence points to Shannon as the killer and he keeps dreaming and hearing the whispers of Herbert Winters claiming one of his alter egos are killing the women. Shannon knows he has killed nobody but he also believes Herbert isn't the murderer because he killed him when he was thirteen after hours of torture. Someone is out to frame him for the killings and when he figures out why, he will know who and the reason this person has such a malevolent lethal grudge against him.

David Zeltserman is a talented noir thriller writer who throws one surprise after another at the audience so that they find themselves totally bewildered about what is really happening to the protagonist. Shannon has not had an easy life but his suffering never turned him to the dark side. Instead it made him a strong person determined to see justice is done which is why he became a police officer. The villain is so over the top that he makes the audience feel creepy as if spiders are crawling all over their bodies. This is a must read for thriller fans.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ahhh, zeltserman sort of misses it with this one. He's still hands down great., July 6, 2009

By 

clifford "akitonmyers" (Portland, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bad Thoughts (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Hmmmm, this is a great piece of hard boiled writing situated around a sort of silly premise. Its too bad.

Given Zeltserman's history of creating likeable dreggs of humanity characters, you are unsure exactly what is happening here. Is Bill Shannon behind a spat of horrific recent murders or is some Dean Koontz style mystic force behind them and setting Shannon up for the fall?

Im not giving away anything by saying that Zeltserman injects a comic book style bad guy into this story who has the ability to wander through other peoples thoughts. You will find this out pretty early on in the book. What makes this story worth reading regardless, is that you want to know what will happen. The writing is good enough to 'almost' make the evil doer worthy of Zeltsermans narrative gift.

I would say, DONT START with this Zeltserman book. It is his least well put together story. Its a good attempt at breaking the mould he was setting up for himself. And your unsure how the story will resolve itself til the end. (which is saying something). I hope that Zeltserman continues to try to break his restraints and would not mind seeing him come back into the mystic realm for another try at this. Just not his finest work thus far.