Bad Things

Fans of Marshall's STRAW MEN trilogy will not be disappointed in BAD THINGS. Much like those STRAW MEN books and his very, very disturbing THE INTRUDERS, BAD THINGS is crafted so well that the reader isn't quite aware what is happening to his own nerves as he reads until it is too late: his hands are sweaty, his pulse is frantic, and he can't read the pages fast enough. Marshall is a master at building dread, at instilling genuine unease in the reader. His perspectives on life and death may not be the most optimistic, but they are truthful, and that is more than can be said for many, many books.

The location and the character. The more you read about John Henderson it seems the less you know. Lawyer to drunk to waiter but not burnt out, just seeking some peace. What did he do in the Army? What made him a catch for the Secret Service even though he did not 'guard anybody'? What makes him so dangerous? This is how Mike Marshall writes and I like it. I read his 'bad people' trilogy (The Straw Men, The Upright Man and The Blood of Angels). Now he seems to be in the 'bad spirits' phase. The fact that you are as ignorant as the protagonist regarding what's happening makes a better book. I particularly like that he leaves important facts hidden even from the characters. No smarmy outcomes. No cliched happy ending. Good characters die just as dead as bad ones. A contextual morality driven by the situation. No uplift, just cathartic experience and in the end a hint of repetition.

When I read a novel, I like to understand the whys and wherefores of the characters in relation to the plot. This gave me nothing. Why did John give up his law practice and never return? Why was Carol hiding in a small apartment and working part time in a library? Was she as mentally unstable when they were married? And who were these people coming from the woods and why? The ending of this book was just as confusing as the beginning. Save your money on this one.

After falling into a lake in Black Ridge, Washington, four years old Scott Henderson dies though he was rescued in time; no cause for the child's death is found. His despondent parents John and Carol are unable to cope or help one another with their grief. They divorce and both leave the town with neither planning to ever return.----- Three years later, John receives a cryptic frightening note from someone claiming they know how Scott died. Though he thinks the woman who sent it is probably a nutcase, John goes back to Black Ridge hoping otherwise as he has not obtained closure. He is unaware that his return to the scene of his greatest personal tragedy will cause inexplicable deadly incidents to occur.----------- This is a thrilling horror tale that uses the setting of a seemingly placid rustic town to enhance the tension of what is going on. Readers will feel a sense of impending doom throughout the exciting story line. Although some plausibility is lacking, no one will care as Michael Marshall provides a strong scary tale with a psychological edge to make what is happening in Black Ridge even more frightening.------ Harriet Klausner

im not sure i really understood what was living in the woods and the lake. it had suspense but the characters were weird. i wouldnt recommend reading it.