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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
"So that's what I know about people. People hide and people cheat and people lie and people only look out got themselves because people are shit and very few deserve better."
In 1995, six students moved into 215 Caldwell Street. But only 5 leave. They all know the death of their roommate wasn't accidental. But they don't know who killed him and no one wants to take any blame. They convince the police it was an accident and move on with their lives.
But somebody doesn't want them to move on. Twenty years on, somebody lures them to the secluded Wolfheather House. Someone who has given them a choice. Confess, or die...
This was without doubt my favourite read so far this year. I could NOT stop reading. This book had so many surprising twists and I loved every second of it.
The characters weren't very likeable, but they were never supposed to be liked. The jumping from past to present, and from person to person was a pain at times but it still made for a fantastic read. And that ending? Absolutely amazing.
I don't say this often, but I would LOVE to see this as a movie.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this.
In 1995, six students moved into 215 Caldwell Street. But only 5 leave. They all know the death of their roommate wasn't accidental. But they don't know who killed him and no one wants to take any blame. They convince the police it was an accident and move on with their lives.
But somebody doesn't want them to move on. Twenty years on, somebody lures them to the secluded Wolfheather House. Someone who has given them a choice. Confess, or die...
This was without doubt my favourite read so far this year. I could NOT stop reading. This book had so many surprising twists and I loved every second of it.
The characters weren't very likeable, but they were never supposed to be liked. The jumping from past to present, and from person to person was a pain at times but it still made for a fantastic read. And that ending? Absolutely amazing.
I don't say this often, but I would LOVE to see this as a movie.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this.
If Agatha Christie and Stephen King had a baby, They Did Bad Things would be it. Mysterious, creepy, and attention grabbing. Like the character in the book says, almost a real life Clue game with added goosebumps and the feeling of being watched. Definitely a book I'll be recommending!
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A nightmare come to life, this book is dark, twisty, and chock full of murder! I really enjoyed this one. The cast is full of terrible characters behaving badly, which happens to be one of my favorite tropes.
There were so many great twists and truly horrific moments. Be prepared for gore and body horror! Despite the fact that the characters were truly horrible people, they were wonderfully developed, and I was absolutely glued to their stories! This book is perfect for fans of both horror and thrillers. It also has major Clue vibes, which I absolutely adored!
There were so many great twists and truly horrific moments. Be prepared for gore and body horror! Despite the fact that the characters were truly horrible people, they were wonderfully developed, and I was absolutely glued to their stories! This book is perfect for fans of both horror and thrillers. It also has major Clue vibes, which I absolutely adored!
Tough one to rate! It was very suspenseful, it made me tingly with stress and anticipation. So I had a great time reading like 90% of it, then I got to the end and it was kinda meh. 4 stars for the storytelling, 2 for the ending.
This is definitely a page-turner in the sense that everything is mysterious enough that I wanted answers, but most of the answer barely made any sense. While I liked the initial twist of what had brought all of the former roommates together, the ultimate villain didn't work for me as it seemed balanced on the convenient act of forgetfulness across an entire group of people.
I immediately jumped into reading They Did Bad Things when I saw it was by Lauren A. Forry. It was awhile ago, but I read and reviewed her novel, Abigale Hall, and absolutely loved it. While the premise of this novel seemed quite different from Forry's previous novel, I loved the horror movie vibe the summary was giving. I'm sad to say that this was one of those books I expected to love, but ultimately disliked it enough that I almost didn't finish it.
The premise of They Did Bad Things is interesting enough. A group of college kids are brought together by the dilapidated, rundown house in which they each rent a room. The students couldn't be more different than each other, but they somehow make coexisting work until it, well... doesn't. The morning after a crazy party, the roommates awaken to find that one housemate has been murdered, clearly by one of the roommates themselves, but no one knows who for sure. After covering up evidence and making the crime look like an accident, the surviving roommates go on to live their lives for the next few decades until they are all lured to a mysterious hotel on an island in Scotland under false pretenses. It quickly becomes clear that no one will be checking out of this hotel alive until the truth about what happened all those years ago is revealed and justice has been served. Death and mayhem ensue and the rest of the novel plays out like your cookie-cutter horror movie.
Now, normally, I would like this, except something just doesn't work here. I could envision the story in my mind and I bet it could be a successful movie, but it just wasn't working as a novel for me. I found it very confusing to follow. The story is told from several narrators' perspectives and jumps from the past to the present to the near-past to the long ago past again, etc. Three of the characters were very similar and I kept getting them mixed up in my mind. I feel like this is something that needed to be cleaned up a little bit to make the experience less arduous for the reader. The twists and turns were far from shocking and even the gruesome bits felt like the author was trying too hard. So much of the mastermind's plan is laughably far-fetched (getting plastic surgery to assume someone else's identity???). None of the characters were likable and the ultimate reason the roommate was killed in the first place never made much sense to me. I also never fully understood how the bad guy knew which one of the roommates was responsible for the original death.
I'm frustrated because I really thought I was going to like this novel. I hate to rate it so low when I've loved her previous work, but I almost quit several times. It's never a good sign when you've made it to 90% completion and you still aren't sure the last 10% is worth your time. Forry did do a nice job when it came to creating a creepy setting in both the college rental house and the Scottish manor, but everything else just fell way short.
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
*Thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The premise of They Did Bad Things is interesting enough. A group of college kids are brought together by the dilapidated, rundown house in which they each rent a room. The students couldn't be more different than each other, but they somehow make coexisting work until it, well... doesn't. The morning after a crazy party, the roommates awaken to find that one housemate has been murdered, clearly by one of the roommates themselves, but no one knows who for sure. After covering up evidence and making the crime look like an accident, the surviving roommates go on to live their lives for the next few decades until they are all lured to a mysterious hotel on an island in Scotland under false pretenses. It quickly becomes clear that no one will be checking out of this hotel alive until the truth about what happened all those years ago is revealed and justice has been served. Death and mayhem ensue and the rest of the novel plays out like your cookie-cutter horror movie.
Now, normally, I would like this, except something just doesn't work here. I could envision the story in my mind and I bet it could be a successful movie, but it just wasn't working as a novel for me. I found it very confusing to follow. The story is told from several narrators' perspectives and jumps from the past to the present to the near-past to the long ago past again, etc. Three of the characters were very similar and I kept getting them mixed up in my mind. I feel like this is something that needed to be cleaned up a little bit to make the experience less arduous for the reader. The twists and turns were far from shocking and even the gruesome bits felt like the author was trying too hard. So much of the mastermind's plan is laughably far-fetched (getting plastic surgery to assume someone else's identity???). None of the characters were likable and the ultimate reason the roommate was killed in the first place never made much sense to me. I also never fully understood how the bad guy knew which one of the roommates was responsible for the original death.
I'm frustrated because I really thought I was going to like this novel. I hate to rate it so low when I've loved her previous work, but I almost quit several times. It's never a good sign when you've made it to 90% completion and you still aren't sure the last 10% is worth your time. Forry did do a nice job when it came to creating a creepy setting in both the college rental house and the Scottish manor, but everything else just fell way short.
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
*Thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Other than a few small, hard-to-believe disappointments and a couple plot holes, this was a really great book! It kept me hooked and wanting to read every chance I got. I look forward to reading more by this author!
First, as a character-driven reader, there was no one here I could identify with or sympathize with. But isn't that the reason we read? So we don't have to actually hang out with people like this??
Set up like Ten Little Indians. Five people lured to a decrepit B&B in the wilds of Scotland...and when they get there...they know each other. They were all roommates their freshman year in college. And it didn't go well. As they compare stories about WHY they are there, they realize none of the stories rings true.
From this point, add Donna Tartt's The Secret History into the mix. Young people who are trying desperately to appear grown-up, when in fact, they're selfish babies. We learn that there used to be six roommates, but one, Collum, the only one I might have liked, dies in the house, under very suspicious circumstances. We see the adults who have not grown, learned, changed.
Then, one-by-one, they die horribly, bloodily.
There is a reckoning for what went on at 215 Caldwell Street...and if I'm honest, I'd say the house itself is another character here...one that witnesses the worst of humanity on that lumpy pink sofa.
As the characters turn on each other, the mystery of why they're here gets murkier and murkier. And one-by-one, they die.
I wondered if the solution to the mystery was going to be "Ten-Little-Indian." It's not.
Told thru alternating points of view, and flash-backs & flash-forwards, as well as a strange diary left at the site of the carnage, the story can feel choppy, but Forry does what I think she set out to do...intrigue us, disgust us, and keep us turning the pages.
And the last chapter sets up a sequel if she chooses.
Set up like Ten Little Indians. Five people lured to a decrepit B&B in the wilds of Scotland...and when they get there...they know each other. They were all roommates their freshman year in college. And it didn't go well. As they compare stories about WHY they are there, they realize none of the stories rings true.
From this point, add Donna Tartt's The Secret History into the mix. Young people who are trying desperately to appear grown-up, when in fact, they're selfish babies. We learn that there used to be six roommates, but one, Collum, the only one I might have liked, dies in the house, under very suspicious circumstances. We see the adults who have not grown, learned, changed.
Then, one-by-one, they die horribly, bloodily.
There is a reckoning for what went on at 215 Caldwell Street...and if I'm honest, I'd say the house itself is another character here...one that witnesses the worst of humanity on that lumpy pink sofa.
As the characters turn on each other, the mystery of why they're here gets murkier and murkier. And one-by-one, they die.
I wondered if the solution to the mystery was going to be "Ten-Little-Indian." It's not.
Told thru alternating points of view, and flash-backs & flash-forwards, as well as a strange diary left at the site of the carnage, the story can feel choppy, but Forry does what I think she set out to do...intrigue us, disgust us, and keep us turning the pages.
And the last chapter sets up a sequel if she chooses.
This book gave me those And Then There Were None vibes, in that five people were brought together to a house in Scotland, but didn't know the others would be there. They all recognized each other when they showed up... they had all lived together in a house at college. Then they are killed off one by one. But by who? And why? This book didn't really capture my attention like I thought it would. It was hard for me to push myself through this one. Yes, I wanted to know who killed their room mate Callum in 1995, and who is killing them now, and that is why I kept reading. All but one character's personalities annoyed me (and that person died rather early on), and the constant back and forth between those characters was bothersome. I did not mind when they story would shift to the past, then come back to the present, as it did help tie everything together. I gave it two stars because it wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Arcade Crimewise and Lauren A. Forry for allowing me to read this ARC. I was not paid for my review.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Arcade Crimewise and Lauren A. Forry for allowing me to read this ARC. I was not paid for my review.