Five Bad Deeds
A Novel
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3.8 • 12 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"An involving, layered, and thrilling story of secrets, lies, and revenge, Five Bad Deeds takes us far beneath the surface of suburban bliss into the dark heart of human desire. . . . Riveting!" —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
“[A] devastating suspense novel. . . . A must-read for fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Acclaimed, internationally bestselling author Caz Frear ratchets up the suspense in this outstanding standalone psychological thriller—a gripping tale of revenge, loyalty, and the secrets hidden between the walls of the most beautiful home in town.
Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . .
Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling nonstop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting to finally renovating her dream home, the Meadowhouse. Amidst the chaos, an ominous note arrives in the mail, declaring:
People have to learn there are consequences, Ellen.
And I’m going to teach you that lesson.
Right under your nose.
Why would someone send her this? Ellen has no clue. She’s no angel—a white lie here, an occasional sharp tongue there—but nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy. She’d never intentionally hurt anyone.
But intention doesn’t matter to someone. Someone blames this supposed “good person” for all the bad they’ve experienced. And maybe they have reason to? Because few of us get through life without leaving a black mark on someone else’s. Could the five bad deeds that come to haunt Ellen explain why things have gone so horribly wrong?
As she races to discover who’s set on destroying her reputation and her future, Ellen continues to receive increasingly threatening messages . . . each one hitting closer to everything she cherishes.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this devastating suspense novel, Frear (Shed No Tears) cycles through the perspectives of married couple Ellen and Adam Walsh and a cluster of their neighbors and relatives to examine the sometimes suffocating bonds of small-town England. Ellen, a well-meaning teacher and mother of three, receives an enigmatic letter warning her that "sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences." The threat is followed by the exposure of Ellen's eponymous bad deeds, beginning with the leak of drunk photos on Facebook that lead to a visit from Social Services, before escalating to a police investigation into her alleged affair with a 17-year-old student who's gone missing. With her life on the brink of collapse, Ellen races to answer one question: why is someone doing this to her? Frear keeps readers on their toes from the start, but what elevates this above standard genre fare is the freshness and acuity of her language: a friend who ends an affair reminds Ellen of her own young son, "all puffed up and proud that he'd tidied his toys like I'd asked"; a McMansion "seemed to hang back from the rest of the village with the slightly embarrassed air of someone who knows they've overdressed." This is a must-read for fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn.
