Bad man

a novel

386 pages

English language

Published Dec. 19, 2018

ISBN:
978-0-385-54292-0
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
1010700693

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(6 reviews)

Reddit horror sensation Dathan Auerbach delivers a devilishly dark novel about a young boy who goes missing, and the brother who won't stop looking for him. Eric disappeared when he was three years old. Ben looked away for only a second at the grocery store, but that was all it took. His brother was gone. Vanished right into the sticky air of the Florida Panhandle. They say you've got only a couple days to find a missing person. Forty-eight hours to conduct searches, knock on doors, and talk to witnesses. Two days to tear the world apart if there's any chance of putting yours back together. That's your window. That window closed five years ago, leaving Ben's life in ruins. He still looks for his brother. Still searches, while his stepmother sits and waits and whispers for Eric, refusing to leave the house that Ben's father can no longer afford. …

1 edition

Enjoyable, but disappointing

I loved Auerbach's first novel "Penpal" and was expecting something similar. This is not that, although you can see the common themes.

This is a slow-burn that keeps you asking yourself what the f* is going on. About 25% through, I thought I had guessed it. I was wrong, but frankly, my guess was more interesting than the actual reveal. Luckily, Auerbach's writing is very effective, so I never found it boring.

I do think it's too bad that details that were often introduced as if they were going to be meaningful turned out not to be, and that interesting threads that were opened went undeveloped. I believe Auerbach made the "Bad Man" world bigger than it need to be for the story he ended up telling.

But all in all, an enjoyable read, albeit with a slightly disappointing resolution.

Review of 'Bad man' on 'Goodreads'

"Somewhere in the distance, lightning lit the sky on fire, and it screamed in pain."

Bad Man will be published on August 7 and is available for pre-order now.
It is told from the point of view of Ben, a young man who lost his little brother 5 years ago and never forgave himself and never gave up searching. For some reason the police don't seem to care and his step mother is lost in her own world, still buying presents and holding birthday celebrations for her little boy who never came home. Ben's father doesn't want him working in the store where little Eric disappeared but he sure doesn't mind Ben bringing home a paycheck. His boss is a jerk and the other employees are a bit on the suspicious side.
This was an incredible read. Bad Man has more layers than an onion, each one deeper and darker …

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Subjects

  • Missing persons
  • Investigation
  • Brothers
  • Fiction