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A review by ianb
Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When I was looking for my next thriller book to read, I found this one hidden on my shelfs and decided that it was time to pick it up and give it a read and I found within was a story with lots of dark secrets hiding within the world that seems glamorous, but 1 girl is detrained to dig them up.
Luca Laine Thomas is a 17-year-old that loves on Parris, an island to a community of rich elites. Parris is also an island that’s haunted by a history of dying girls. From house fires and drownings to back-alley assaults, girls keep dying on Parris in terrible, unsolved ways. Luca, who lost her Polly best friend three years ago in what was ruled an accidental drowning, thinks it’s not just a series of deadly coincidences, but a curse. Most people on Parris think of the curse as nothing more than a schoolyard story, content to ignore it in favour of a life of careless decadence on the island, but Luca believes otherwise. When another death occurs, Luca decides it’s time for her to investigate the curse herself.
Luca Laine Thomas is a 17-year-old that loves on Parris, an island to a community of rich elites. Parris is also an island that’s haunted by a history of dying girls. From house fires and drownings to back-alley assaults, girls keep dying on Parris in terrible, unsolved ways. Luca, who lost her Polly best friend three years ago in what was ruled an accidental drowning, thinks it’s not just a series of deadly coincidences, but a curse. Most people on Parris think of the curse as nothing more than a schoolyard story, content to ignore it in favour of a life of careless decadence on the island, but Luca believes otherwise. When another death occurs, Luca decides it’s time for her to investigate the curse herself.
Luca has always felt more out-of-place on Parris: mixed-race in a very white community, queer but not very open about her sexuality, mentally ill in a world that’s not understanding about that. As we travel through this book, we see things from her perspective as she goes about solving this Murder to give herself the answers and closure that she needs.
Overall, The only thing that took me a long time to get my head around was the Point of View of the View, Its told from Luca’s POV but almost written from a 3rd party watching her and it felt a little jarring at times, However I would recommend Bad Things Happen Here to readers with an interest in a character-driven thriller.