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    The Bad Things
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    The Bad Things
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    The Bad Things
    Ebook398 pages6 hours

    The Bad Things

    By Mary-Jane Riley

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Book one in a darkly compelling psychological thriller series, full of twists and turns, perfect for fans of SISTER SISTER by Sue Fortin and INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins.

    We all have our secrets, some are just darker than others.

    Alex Devlin’s life changed forever fifteen years ago when her sister Sasha's two small children were snatched in broad daylight. Little Harry’s body was found a few days later, but Millie’s remains were never discovered.

    Now Jackie Wood, jailed as an accessory to the twins’ murder, has been released, her conviction quashed by the Appeal Court. Convinced Jackie can reveal where Millie is buried, Alex goes to meet her.

    But the unexpected information Wood reveals shocks Alex to the core and threatens to uncover the dark secret she has managed to keep under wraps for the past fifteen years. Because in the end, can we ever really know what is in the hearts of those closest to us?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateAug 27, 2015
    ISBN9780008153779
    Author

    Mary-Jane Riley

    Mary-Jane Riley spent many years as a BBC journalist and talk show broadcaster. She has had short stories published in women’s magazines, including Bella, Women’s Weekly and That’s Life. Mary-Jane Riley is married with three children and lives in rural Suffolk. The Bad Things is her first novel.

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    Reviews for The Bad Things

    3.5/5

    108 ratings13 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I had high expectations for Bad Things. It sounded like it would be a fast-paced thriller novel and spooky natural story, presented in a character-driven work. It is all those things. But somehow the combination didn’t gel the way I had hoped.As a character-driven novel, Bad Things succeeds pretty well. I felt a real empathy for the main character, John Henderson, and his “retreat” into a solitary life after the death of his son. His actions throughout the story were very consistent with his personality – that of someone who was extremely confident and competent, and then had faced complete impotence in the protection of his own son. The cast of supplemental characters is rich. None of the individual characters is explored completely, but as a whole they are a varied and interesting group.As a fast-paced thriller novel, Bad Things is okay. There are plots and subplots, twists and turns. There dangerous action sequences, and they are completely realistic and believable. The story arc and pacing feel right. But there’s not enough action and suspense to really excel as a thriller.I found the weakest aspect was the supernatural elements. The supernatural stuff is more hinted at, than clearly explained. I suppose that is intended to leave more to the reader’s imagination, and to increase the sense of spookiness. But for me, I ended up thinking “Huh? What happened? I don’t get it.” more often than feeling that chill up my spine.All in all, I did enjoy this book. But it won’t be on my favorites list.
    • 4/5
      I liked this, but I didn’t love it. It is a slow builder, which is fine, but I think I was looking for more of an underlying, subtle creepy feeling like I got from reading Rosemary’s Baby. I never felt like John was in real danger until the end.John himself is an interesting character. He does what needs to be done without a lot of emotional wrangling, but it’s hard to get a good feel for why he is the way he is. Was he always this way, and just masked it when he was married? Or did the death of his son considerably change him? He’s very Jack Reacher-ish.Overall, I liked the concept, and a rather complicated plot is wrapped up pretty nicely in the end. I just thought the execution could have been a little bit better.
    • 2/5
      Marshall’s latest paranormal thriller is not up to the high standard he set in The Straw Men. The reader certainly wants to know exactly what happened to Scott, the small boy who dies in the prologue, but Marshall takes his sweet time getting to the answer, or even any clues to the answer. In the aftermath of Scott’s death, his parents’ marriage collapses and his father, John, abandons his successful and lucrative career to become a waiter in a small town pizza joint, avoiding life as best he can. But John is lured back into the world when old threats become new again, and his family, such as it is, is once again in danger. Bad Things is at least 50 pages too long for the story it tells, and a reader familiar with Marshall’s work cannot help but be disappointed in the lack of tension wrought by this mystery. I recommend the Straw Man trilogy or The Servants (written as Michael Marshall Smith) above this book, and hope that Marshall’s next outing will see him returning to the sort of book that compels you to keep reading.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was well written and I enjoyed the main charecter, John. But, somewhere towards the end of the book things seemed to fall apart for me. The first 90% of the drew me in, and the last 10% left me disappointed.
    • 3/5
      The main character is quite likeable John Henderson who has split up with his Wife after the death of his son. Moved away and now works in a Pizza restaurant He has tried to move on, he receives strange messages concerning his son.He goes back to his old town where strange things happen, people end up dead.I was really getting into this book then it got all paranormal and I kind of lost interest. Not my cup of tea.
    • 4/5
      I received Bad Things as from the Early Reviewers program. I have to say I enjoyed it and found it to be one of the better books I've gotten through ER.The book did not keep drawing me back (which is why it didn't make 4.5 starts) but, I had a hard time putting it down whenever I was reading it. I found it to be very well written. It had a good bit of mystery and suspense and it kept building up the suspense. It had a good story that never lagged. At the very end there was a scene that wasn't well explained, why it happened the way it did. It wasn't critical to be explained and there were a couple hints BUT a better explanation would have been appreciated.The book opens with John's son dieing mysteriously with no medical reason, "he just died". Three years later after a messy divorce and finally getting his life back in order, of sorts, he gets an email from someone claiming they knew what happened to his son. Out of curiosity and a chance for possible closure he goes back. When he gets there he finds a women he believes to be in the throws of grief and rationalizes away most of her fears, unfortunately he can't rationalize ALL of them so he sticks around. Things keep getting weirder and he knows he should go back home but something else always happens to keep him around a little bit longer. Every question John gets answered is replaced by several more. Will he get to the bottom of the mystery before it's too late?
    • 4/5
      Bad Things is a fast paced supernatural thriller. While the storytelling is about average for the genre, I found the characterization of John, the protagonist to be excellent. He was a caracter that I could connect to and kept my interest in the book. I also enjoyed how the supernatural elements of the story stay primarily in the background and shadows of the story rather than being the foundation. The novel in some ways reminded me of David N Wilson's Ancient Eyes.
    • 5/5
      Free LibraryThing early reviewer copy! I’m a huge fan of Marshall, though more so in his Michael Marshall Smith incarnation when he writes fantastic (in both senses) sf. As Michael Marshall, he writes modern-day thrillers with a paranormal edge. This one leaves behind the world of his earlier thrillers and posits a different kind of lurking evil, which I liked better. It begins with the sudden, unexplained death of the protagonist’s four-year-old son; after that, his high-powered world collapses. Much later, he gets a message: I know what happened to your son. Very noir: dangerous man, mysterious women, sudden intense violence as a solution to problems. Not sure if it’s an answer I like to the problem of evil, but definitely entertaining.
    • 3/5
      I was delighted when I realized that "Michael Marshall" was actually Michael Marshall Smith, whose science fiction has impressed me. Unfortunately, I did not like Bad Things nearly as much as I'd hoped.

      Let's start with the good. The writing is terrific, maintaining the noir tone of a latter-day Chandler. The characterization of the male characters is also very well done; I especially liked the unlikely buddy relationship that develops during the climax of the novel. You can't ask for higher stakes to start a novel with than the eerie death of a four-year-old, every parent's nightmare come to life. I enjoyed how the author gradually fills in more background details that give scenes read earlier a decidedly different tone.

      You might have gathered from my statement that the male characters are very well done that I was less happy with the women. You would be correct. Most of them are helpless ciphers, except when they're ball-busting bitches. Even the non-evil woman with the most agency, Becki, constantly repeats the same mistakes, fails to listen to the solid advice of the main character, and runs desperately crying to him when everything falls apart and he has a supernatural crisis to deal with.

      About that supernatural aspect: I have no problem with it per se, but with the way Marshall presents it. He drops enough hints that any reasonably observant reader has figured out what's going on well before the halfway point -- though some details still come as a surprise -- but the hero, John, is so completely resistant to the idea that despite bizarre things that happen before his very eyes, he refuses to believe anything magical is going on until it is almost too late, and then all the explanations have to be rushed. It is true that most people would react that way to suggestions of witchcraft in the real world, but for novelistic purposes it would have been better if John had been at least wiling to listen somewhat earlier.

      So in sum, Bad Things is a very well written, mostly well characterized, exciting but not unputdownable psychological/supernatural thriller. I suspect most people who enjoy psychological thrillers or noir mysteries will like it -- if they can take a bit of supernatural leavening. This book is far from perfect, but it cannot be said strongly enough: Michael Marshall (Smith) is an extraordinarily talented writer. I would be willing to read anything he published.
    • 3/5
      Good story with good writing that just didn't quite come together for me. The main character was very well developed. Most of the secondary characters were not quite as well done but still very good. A few, including some of the "villains", could have been better. Perhaps my biggest complaint is the level of suspense. This book is actually very good in that area but it was as if the writing had the promise of being excellent but somehow never quite achieved it. Still a very enjoyable read. The first book of Michael Marshall's the I've read and I'll be watching for others by him.
    • 4/5
      Great read ... I liked the pace and the author's way with words ... He was able to express some insights into human nature in unique ways that I really enjoyed ... Finding good authors that I consistently enjoy is proving more & more difficult - but I'm now happy to add Michael Marshall to the list of authors for whom I will seek out other works. Thanks LibraryThing - your early reviewers program is paying off for me. ; )
    • 3/5
      Alex is a journalist for a magazine and 15 years ago her twin nephew and niece were abducted from her garden. Only the boy has been discovered so when one of the killers has been released from jail on a technicality she interviews her, hoping to find out what has happened to the little girl and to give her sister Sasha some closure. I started off enjoying this book, but as it went on liked it less and less, finding most of the characters annoying and sadly it all became just a bit too predictable. Other people will absolutely love this so it is probably just me! I did like the way it was written and was gripped enough to see how it all panned out, and would be happy to read something else by this new author.
    • 2/5
      This book was ok but nothing spectacular. I had never heard of this author before this book was mentioned in the last issue of Cemetery Dance magazine, and thought I'd give it a chance. I had high hopes but through the first 100 and something pages I felt it dragged a bit and wished it would just get on with it. It did have some genuinely creepy moments but it also had a few instances that just plain didn't make a lot of sense.