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leonoor's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kcfromaustcrime's review
5.0
Every now and then, along comes one of those books. The sort that makes you look at people who make statements like "I NEVER read genre fiction" with just that little bit of sadness for what they are missing. That's not to say that BAD SIGNS is the sort of book that everyone is going to enjoy, but for any readers looking for something that will really make you think, take you into some very uncomfortable places, and be profoundly challenged, then it will be an outstanding book.
Strange as it may seem from the blurb, this is a book about hope. Albeit brutally wrapped up in human frailty. Returning to themes that Ellory has explored in earlier books - this is the story of young men confronted with an impossible situation, informed only by a deprived and desperate background, and the choices that they make. BAD SIGNS gives us two young boys, half-brothers, raised by the same mother, witnesses to the same violence and experiencing the desperation and degradation of State Care together, who make independent choices when pushed to the extreme. Fuelled by their respective ages, tempered undoubtedly by their allotted "roles" in their relationship, Clarence (Clay) Luckman and Elliott Danziger fight their dark stars in their own particular ways.
BAD SIGNS is populated by difficult people to read about - be it because of who they are, what they become, or what could happen to them. Psychopathic serial killer Earl Sheridan is a violent, out of control madman, who for some reason chooses not to kill the brothers in the aftermath of his escape. Which makes reading about their present in his thrall terrifying. What happens to those two boys while they are dragged across the country by this lunatic, violently killing just about everybody he encounters is profoundly discomforting reading. As each of the early chapters end by flagging the horror that is about to occur, it's really difficult to see where any hope is going to come from. Until the boys make their own choices, and the affects of that start to play out. Even then, the tension remains as you worry about how this will play out for the boys. The story remains disturbing and confronting, and the tension is ramped up even more as the reader is dragged, kicking and screaming into the minds of these two boys. Somehow, it's not long before a sense of hope does rise, and with that the tension gets even worse as the reader is left fighting a range of emotions - identification, terror, worry for the future, nervous about the potential resolutions.
It's clever this BAD SIGNS. It's incredibly clever. It's dark and dire, and frightening, disturbing and hypnotic. It's only when you've finished reading, when the resolution is known and the tension can finally abate, that there's a chance for this reader to look back and consider. What the book has done is take two characters from the same mother and childhood, with that slightly different genetic background, put them in dire circumstances and look closely, forensically at what becomes of each person. Whilst not everything is completely hopeless, and there are glimpses of bravery, belief, care, love, defiance and empathy, it is a careful study in human frailty, in madness, mistakes and the power of connections. It's a sobering reminder of how a single encounter can twist a life forever - good or bad, it just depends on how each individual plays the cards they are handed.
There were points where I had to step away for a little while. The violence, the psychopathy of Earl Sheridan, the circumstances of these two young boys, it's in your face. It's pointed, almost grotesque. It's frequently overwhelming. But it's not gratuitous, it draws a very clear picture of the peril of Clay and Elliott, as well as anyone who innocently comes across the worst of them.
Make no mistake, BAD SIGNS is not an easy book to read, it is, however, one hell of a very very very good book.
Strange as it may seem from the blurb, this is a book about hope. Albeit brutally wrapped up in human frailty. Returning to themes that Ellory has explored in earlier books - this is the story of young men confronted with an impossible situation, informed only by a deprived and desperate background, and the choices that they make. BAD SIGNS gives us two young boys, half-brothers, raised by the same mother, witnesses to the same violence and experiencing the desperation and degradation of State Care together, who make independent choices when pushed to the extreme. Fuelled by their respective ages, tempered undoubtedly by their allotted "roles" in their relationship, Clarence (Clay) Luckman and Elliott Danziger fight their dark stars in their own particular ways.
BAD SIGNS is populated by difficult people to read about - be it because of who they are, what they become, or what could happen to them. Psychopathic serial killer Earl Sheridan is a violent, out of control madman, who for some reason chooses not to kill the brothers in the aftermath of his escape. Which makes reading about their present in his thrall terrifying. What happens to those two boys while they are dragged across the country by this lunatic, violently killing just about everybody he encounters is profoundly discomforting reading. As each of the early chapters end by flagging the horror that is about to occur, it's really difficult to see where any hope is going to come from. Until the boys make their own choices, and the affects of that start to play out. Even then, the tension remains as you worry about how this will play out for the boys. The story remains disturbing and confronting, and the tension is ramped up even more as the reader is dragged, kicking and screaming into the minds of these two boys. Somehow, it's not long before a sense of hope does rise, and with that the tension gets even worse as the reader is left fighting a range of emotions - identification, terror, worry for the future, nervous about the potential resolutions.
It's clever this BAD SIGNS. It's incredibly clever. It's dark and dire, and frightening, disturbing and hypnotic. It's only when you've finished reading, when the resolution is known and the tension can finally abate, that there's a chance for this reader to look back and consider. What the book has done is take two characters from the same mother and childhood, with that slightly different genetic background, put them in dire circumstances and look closely, forensically at what becomes of each person. Whilst not everything is completely hopeless, and there are glimpses of bravery, belief, care, love, defiance and empathy, it is a careful study in human frailty, in madness, mistakes and the power of connections. It's a sobering reminder of how a single encounter can twist a life forever - good or bad, it just depends on how each individual plays the cards they are handed.
There were points where I had to step away for a little while. The violence, the psychopathy of Earl Sheridan, the circumstances of these two young boys, it's in your face. It's pointed, almost grotesque. It's frequently overwhelming. But it's not gratuitous, it draws a very clear picture of the peril of Clay and Elliott, as well as anyone who innocently comes across the worst of them.
Make no mistake, BAD SIGNS is not an easy book to read, it is, however, one hell of a very very very good book.
okenwillow's review against another edition
5.0
Déjà conquise par les précédents romans d’Ellory, sa réputation de sale bonhomme ne m’a pas coupé l’envie de le lire. Certes, je le boycotte lors de salons et de dédicaces, mais je n’arrêterai pas de le lire sous prétexte que c’est un scientologue et qu’il a craché anonymement sur ses collègues. C’est vilain et c’est pas beau, mais cela ne remet pas en cause son talent d’écrivain.
Je suis encore sous le choc de ce roman aussi intense que noir. Il va m’être difficile de parler de ce livre sans trop en dévoiler, mais essayons ! Clay et Elliott sont demi-frères, orphelins, ils vivent dans une maison de correction qui les incite à croire qu’ils sont destinés à en baver. Ils n’ont pas tort. Elliott est l’aîné, bagarreur, il protège son petit frère Clay, plus doux et réfléchi. Deux caractères bien différents, qui vont réagir différemment à la prise d’otage dont ils vont être victimes. Brutalement lâchés dans la nature, les deux frères vont d’abord se soumettre aux directives d’Earl Sheridan, un dangereux meurtrier qui n’a plus rien à perdre. Très vite, Clay et Elliott vont se faire leur propre idée de la situation. Lorsque la cavale dégénère en chevauchée sauvage et bains de sang, la police et le FBI n’ont qu’un seul mot d’ordre : abattre le suspect à vue. À partir d’une presque banale histoire de cavale sanguinaire, Ellory réussit l’exploit de créer un suspens comme j’en ai rarement vu, car il est rare, très rare qu’un suspens m’hypnotise à ce point. Ellory a choisi d’évoquer la dualité entre deux frères apparemment soudés par une enfance assez noire, jusqu’au jour où leur chemin croise celui d’un condamné à mort porté sur la violence gratuite.
Tout au long du livre on se met dans l’état d’esprit des protagonistes : il ne peut y avoir de fin heureuse, la fatalité semble être le personnage principal du roman. Le dénouement ne fait pas beaucoup de doute pendant au moins les trois quarts du livre, et on se prend à espérer autre chose, car l’auteur, après nous avoir bien miné le moral, fait en sorte que le lecteur comme à reprendre espoir. Il excelle dans l’évocation des personnages, les deux frères prennent vie sous nos yeux. Mais le plus frappant reste le traitement que l’auteur fait des victimes. Par définition, ces personnages ne font que de brèves apparitions, mais Ellory s’évertue à nous les décrire, à leur inventer un passé, un caractère précis, il leur donne assez d’épaisseur pour que l’on frémisse encore plus à leur trépas. Faire des victimes des personnages aussi réalistes contribue à accentuer l’horreur des actes commis, déjà bien sanglants et particulièrement violents. Une touche de subtilité qui fait la différence entre Mauvaise étoile et une banale histoire de cavale.
Je suis encore sous le choc de ce roman aussi intense que noir. Il va m’être difficile de parler de ce livre sans trop en dévoiler, mais essayons ! Clay et Elliott sont demi-frères, orphelins, ils vivent dans une maison de correction qui les incite à croire qu’ils sont destinés à en baver. Ils n’ont pas tort. Elliott est l’aîné, bagarreur, il protège son petit frère Clay, plus doux et réfléchi. Deux caractères bien différents, qui vont réagir différemment à la prise d’otage dont ils vont être victimes. Brutalement lâchés dans la nature, les deux frères vont d’abord se soumettre aux directives d’Earl Sheridan, un dangereux meurtrier qui n’a plus rien à perdre. Très vite, Clay et Elliott vont se faire leur propre idée de la situation. Lorsque la cavale dégénère en chevauchée sauvage et bains de sang, la police et le FBI n’ont qu’un seul mot d’ordre : abattre le suspect à vue. À partir d’une presque banale histoire de cavale sanguinaire, Ellory réussit l’exploit de créer un suspens comme j’en ai rarement vu, car il est rare, très rare qu’un suspens m’hypnotise à ce point. Ellory a choisi d’évoquer la dualité entre deux frères apparemment soudés par une enfance assez noire, jusqu’au jour où leur chemin croise celui d’un condamné à mort porté sur la violence gratuite.
Tout au long du livre on se met dans l’état d’esprit des protagonistes : il ne peut y avoir de fin heureuse, la fatalité semble être le personnage principal du roman. Le dénouement ne fait pas beaucoup de doute pendant au moins les trois quarts du livre, et on se prend à espérer autre chose, car l’auteur, après nous avoir bien miné le moral, fait en sorte que le lecteur comme à reprendre espoir. Il excelle dans l’évocation des personnages, les deux frères prennent vie sous nos yeux. Mais le plus frappant reste le traitement que l’auteur fait des victimes. Par définition, ces personnages ne font que de brèves apparitions, mais Ellory s’évertue à nous les décrire, à leur inventer un passé, un caractère précis, il leur donne assez d’épaisseur pour que l’on frémisse encore plus à leur trépas. Faire des victimes des personnages aussi réalistes contribue à accentuer l’horreur des actes commis, déjà bien sanglants et particulièrement violents. Une touche de subtilité qui fait la différence entre Mauvaise étoile et une banale histoire de cavale.
anamelon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
biteintobooks's review
4.0
Thanks to Arjen for reading this book together with me! This book was a RIDE. If you're into crime/thrillers, this is definitely one to pick up. I was a bit surprised that it doesn't even have 1000 ratings on Goodreads. I thought it was a bit more well known. So I would definitely understand if you have not heard of this one!
Full review can be found at BiteIntoBooks
A very unique thriller with an author voice that is so unique. The story is fast paced, and because of all the horrible things that happen in this book, I had no idea how this would end. It's definitely one of the darker books, so if that's not your thing, I wouldn't pick it up! It didn't cross my gross-line, so I definitely enjoyed reading this one!
Full review can be found at BiteIntoBooks
A very unique thriller with an author voice that is so unique. The story is fast paced, and because of all the horrible things that happen in this book, I had no idea how this would end. It's definitely one of the darker books, so if that's not your thing, I wouldn't pick it up! It didn't cross my gross-line, so I definitely enjoyed reading this one!
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
5.0
‘Eldorado. Where kids have moms and dads.’
When Clarence Luckman’s father kills their mother, Clarence and his half-brother Elliott Danziger , spend their childhood in various state institutions. By the time they are teenagers, housed in a juvenile detention facility, Clarence (known as Clay) and Elliott (known as Digger) are well acquainted with violence and the darker side of life in institutions. And things are about to get a whole lot worse when they are taken hostage by Earl Sheridan. Earl Sheridan, a man en route to death row with nothing left to lose, kills his way out of imprisonment and takes the brothers with him as hostages.
Set in the 1960s, in Texas, the balance of the story plays out over the next nine days. Earl Sheridan is a psychopath who takes the boys on a killing spree. Digger is fascinated, and sees Earl as a hero and someone that he wants to emulate. And so he does. Clay manages to escape, but is caught in a different tragedy as a consequence of mistaken identity.
This novel is both thriller and epic tragedy. Who will survive, and how? Are the fates determining who will live and die? Will the guilty be punished, and can the innocent survive? Both boys are seeking a happier life, both seem set on reaching their own Eldorado but each has chosen (or is drawn to) a different path. Other people, whose paths cross theirs, will have their lives changed. Or ended. Is it chance, or fate? Pre-destined, or self-determined? If self-determined, what factors determine the choices?
I could not put this novel down. I was caught up in an atmosphere of dreadful expectation and fearful hope – of a brighter future for one of the brothers and his new-found friend. There are some horrific scenes in this novel, but none of them seemed gratuitous within the context of the story. ‘Bad Signs’ is disturbing but never entirely without hope. And the ending? Somehow it seemed appropriate. If you want to know why, you’ll need to read it yourself. Be prepared to be shocked and moved, and then haunted.
‘Doesn’t matter where you are in the world, you’re always looking at the same sky.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
When Clarence Luckman’s father kills their mother, Clarence and his half-brother Elliott Danziger , spend their childhood in various state institutions. By the time they are teenagers, housed in a juvenile detention facility, Clarence (known as Clay) and Elliott (known as Digger) are well acquainted with violence and the darker side of life in institutions. And things are about to get a whole lot worse when they are taken hostage by Earl Sheridan. Earl Sheridan, a man en route to death row with nothing left to lose, kills his way out of imprisonment and takes the brothers with him as hostages.
Set in the 1960s, in Texas, the balance of the story plays out over the next nine days. Earl Sheridan is a psychopath who takes the boys on a killing spree. Digger is fascinated, and sees Earl as a hero and someone that he wants to emulate. And so he does. Clay manages to escape, but is caught in a different tragedy as a consequence of mistaken identity.
This novel is both thriller and epic tragedy. Who will survive, and how? Are the fates determining who will live and die? Will the guilty be punished, and can the innocent survive? Both boys are seeking a happier life, both seem set on reaching their own Eldorado but each has chosen (or is drawn to) a different path. Other people, whose paths cross theirs, will have their lives changed. Or ended. Is it chance, or fate? Pre-destined, or self-determined? If self-determined, what factors determine the choices?
I could not put this novel down. I was caught up in an atmosphere of dreadful expectation and fearful hope – of a brighter future for one of the brothers and his new-found friend. There are some horrific scenes in this novel, but none of them seemed gratuitous within the context of the story. ‘Bad Signs’ is disturbing but never entirely without hope. And the ending? Somehow it seemed appropriate. If you want to know why, you’ll need to read it yourself. Be prepared to be shocked and moved, and then haunted.
‘Doesn’t matter where you are in the world, you’re always looking at the same sky.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
donmarrr's review against another edition
3.0
De halfbroertjes Clarence en Elliot wonen in een weeshuis sinds hun moeder door geweld omkwam. Hun veilige leven neemt een bizarre wending wanneer ze gegijzeld worden door Earl Sheridan, een veroordeelde moordenaar en psychopaat van het ergste soort. Het trio trekt door Californië en Texas, op de vlucht voor de autoriteiten. De jongens worden geconfronteerd met een groeiende stroom van geweld waar ze beiden totaal anders mee omgaan. De keuzes die ze maken zullen hun levens voor altijd veranderen, evenals hun onderlinge relatie. Bekraste zielen is een thriller over de gevolgen van geweld, loyaliteit en de hoop op redding.
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Digger Danzinger en Clay Luckman zijn halfbroers. Vaders hebben ze nooit gekend en hun moeder sterft als ze 9 en 11 jaar zijn. Ze groeien op in een weeshuis en in een jeugdgevangenis waar Digger heen gestuurd werd. Clay vergezelt hem, want ze staan elkaar nabij. Op een dag ontsnapt een ter dood veroordeelde gevangene en neemt de jongens als gijzelaars mee. Een spoor van moord trekt van west naar oost door Amerika. Als de moordenaar omkomt in een vuurgevecht, neemt Digger zijn rol over. Clay vlucht weg met een meisje wier vader zojuist vermoord is, maar juist op hem maakt de politie jacht. De verschillende keuzes die de jongens maken, staan centraal in een serie gebeurtenissen die negen dagen in beslag nemen. Het verhaal wordt verteld in dezelfde journalistieke stijl als 'In cold blood' van Truman Capote en maakt dus de indruk een waargebeurd verhaal te zijn waarnaar de schrijver uitgebreid onderzoek heeft gedaan, getuige ook de vele details, nauwkeurige cijfers en andere gegevens. Het is een indrukwekkende thriller, maar meer nog een haarscherpe psychologische ontleding van karakters. Veel korte hoofdstukken. Kleine druk.
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R.J. Ellory (1965) is de veelbekroonde auteur van thrillers die wereldwijd vertaald worden. Meest recent verschenen van hem in het Nederlands Het kwaad en de rivieren Een circus van schimmen. R.J. Ellory woont en werkt in Birmingham.
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Digger Danzinger en Clay Luckman zijn halfbroers. Vaders hebben ze nooit gekend en hun moeder sterft als ze 9 en 11 jaar zijn. Ze groeien op in een weeshuis en in een jeugdgevangenis waar Digger heen gestuurd werd. Clay vergezelt hem, want ze staan elkaar nabij. Op een dag ontsnapt een ter dood veroordeelde gevangene en neemt de jongens als gijzelaars mee. Een spoor van moord trekt van west naar oost door Amerika. Als de moordenaar omkomt in een vuurgevecht, neemt Digger zijn rol over. Clay vlucht weg met een meisje wier vader zojuist vermoord is, maar juist op hem maakt de politie jacht. De verschillende keuzes die de jongens maken, staan centraal in een serie gebeurtenissen die negen dagen in beslag nemen. Het verhaal wordt verteld in dezelfde journalistieke stijl als 'In cold blood' van Truman Capote en maakt dus de indruk een waargebeurd verhaal te zijn waarnaar de schrijver uitgebreid onderzoek heeft gedaan, getuige ook de vele details, nauwkeurige cijfers en andere gegevens. Het is een indrukwekkende thriller, maar meer nog een haarscherpe psychologische ontleding van karakters. Veel korte hoofdstukken. Kleine druk.
-----
R.J. Ellory (1965) is de veelbekroonde auteur van thrillers die wereldwijd vertaald worden. Meest recent verschenen van hem in het Nederlands Het kwaad en de rivieren Een circus van schimmen. R.J. Ellory woont en werkt in Birmingham.
veebutts's review against another edition
5.0
From beginning to end this story had me gripped and I simply could not stop reading.
The pace of the book is relentless and you really get caught up in the danger and suspense of it all- at times I realised I was even holding my breath waiting to see what was going to happen.
The relationship between the two half-brothers that this story centers around is beautifully described, and the people that they meet along the way equally add to the beauty of the story.
The way that this beauty is juxtaposed against the horror and the depravity of the main action within the story will leave you breathless.
This book is a must read!
The pace of the book is relentless and you really get caught up in the danger and suspense of it all- at times I realised I was even holding my breath waiting to see what was going to happen.
The relationship between the two half-brothers that this story centers around is beautifully described, and the people that they meet along the way equally add to the beauty of the story.
The way that this beauty is juxtaposed against the horror and the depravity of the main action within the story will leave you breathless.
This book is a must read!
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