Bad Things Happen
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4.1 • 104 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A gripping novel about a man trying to escape his violent past and soon becomes a murder suspect when a publisher—and the husband of the woman he's having an affair with—turns up dead.
The man who calls himself David Loogan is hoping to escape a violent past by living a quiet, anonymous life in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But when he's hired as an editor at a mystery magazine, he is drawn into an affair with the sleek blond wife of the publisher, Tom Kristoll—a man who soon turns up dead.
Elizabeth Waishkey is the most talented detective in the Ann Arbor Police Department, but even she doesn't know if Loogan is a killer or an ally who might help her find the truth. As more deaths start mounting up—some of them echoing stories published in the magazine—it's up to Elizabeth to solve both the murders and the mystery of Loogan himself.
"Witty, sophisticated, suspenseful and endless fun...the best first novel I've read this year." —Washington Post
"A hypnotically readable novel, with...dialog worthy of Elmore Leonard."—Douglas Preston
"Fans of Peter Abrahams and Scott Turow will find a lot to like."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dolan gets everything right in his debut, a suspense novel that breathes new life into familiar themes. The enigmatic David Loogan, who's recently moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., has stumbled into an editing job for Gray Streets, a mystery magazine, after anonymously submitting a short story. One night, Loogan's boss, Tom Kristoll, asks him for help in disposing of a corpse. Loogan goes to Kristoll's house and does so, despite his suspicions that Kristoll's account of how the man ended up dead is incomplete at best. When Kristoll later dies in a fall from his office window, the police mark Loogan, who's been having an affair with Kristoll's wife, as a person of interest. Pitch-perfect prose and sophisticated characterizations drive the noirish plot, which offers plenty of unexpected twists. Fans of Peter Abrahams and Scott Turow will find a lot to like. While the solution may strike some as a tad improbable, the talent Dolan displays suggests he has a bright future.
Customer Reviews
It’s worth the read
I have to admit that I wasn’t that thrilled with this book up until almost the end. I felt that it dragged on and was at the edge of boring. Having previously read two of Harry Dolan’s other books I’m definitely a fan of his work but I felt let down by this one in particular. I’m glad I’m stubborn and didn’t give up. It ended up being a really good book with an unexpected plot twist and ending. Even though I had my doubts I can happily say I’m still a fan.
Grows on you
When I started this book I thought is this ever going to end but it pulls you in. Mr Dolan writes very well.
Quick read, hard to put down
I enjoyed this book. The book was well written and kept my attention. I finished reading at 1:30 am. It's hard imagine that writers could be so violent. The last scene caught me off guard. I'm still working that one out, not sure how it fits into the story.
Good work, I'm looking forward to your next book.