They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry 3.5/5

A dark and deadly locked door mystery.
Can you find the killer before they find you?

It’s twisty and unsettling but.. I liked it and I didn’t.

Now, I’ve been in a thriller/suspense/horror kind of mood for quite a bit and, overall? It’s been a fantastic ride. Unfortunately, the problem with reading the same genre for too long is that it all starts to sound the same.

Example: A group of not-so-upstanding people make bad decisions before becoming targeted for their lies. Secrets are exposed, characters are killed off one by one, all the while.. a devious mind set on justice/revenge pulls their strings from the shadows.

I’ve probably read something along those lines (at least) half a dozen times this year and, while some are written brilliantly, you start to get bored with the monotony.

This one fell squarely in the middle.
Not what I would call fantastic but not so predictable that I wanted to throw my reader at the wall.

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They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry

First line: You’re not afraid of doing bad things. You’re afraid of getting punished for doing them.

It’s from memory, this story. Mine and theirs. So I may not have everything right. It’s possible I may have got some things confused. But I’ve done my best. I swear.
This story begins with a house. Or rather a roundabout. One particular roundabout on one particular day in early September 1994.

Five people, old college housemates, are lured to the Scottish country side.
Each receives an invitation of some kind, and none know the others will be there, but when they’re finally gathered in one place.. the real show begins.

Many years ago something happened between them in that house. Another member of their group was found dead under suspicious circumstances and all of them are hiding something.

But someone else knows and is now no one is safe.

The not-so-happy reunion turns into a fight to survive and, when the caretaker of the manor takes off, they’re left to fend for themselves.. Why they were brought together? Odd gifts and riddles left behind from an unknown benefactor make it glaringly clear that whatever they were brought here for has to do with the tragic events from so many years ago.

Now they must figure out just how much this stranger knows about their secrets..
Before is too late.

“God,” sighed Lorna. “When did my life turn into a game of Clue?” The comment slipped out before she could stop it.

Three and a half stars!

Probably not a book I’ll be rereading but it was still an interesting story.

Wolfheather House, The Bend, Isle of Doon, IV55 8GX.
The Highlands

Characters:

Hollis Drummond: Detective. The quiet loner type, acts the most clear headed.. But is he hiding more than it appears?
Maeve Okafor: Studious. The observer.. Stands on the outside.
Oliver Holcombe: A complete douche who’s only meaningful relationship seems to be with whatever booze is on hand.
Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Hunt: The friendly one, the princess, who only wants everyone to get along and doesn’t like confrontation.
Lorna Torrington: Kind of standoffish.. Intense. She dislikes pretty much everyone.
Callum: The boy who’s death is a mystery to everyone but one of these unlikeable, untrustworthy characters.

James Caskie: The not very friendly and strangely suspicious doorman(?) at Wolfheather House.
Linda: Hollis’ daughter.

Overall:

None of these people like one another and you don’t like them either, they’re cagey as hell and pretty much just terrible people. Which ended up working because it had my curiosity piqued. I was intrigued.. It’s not intense or suspenseful (until, perhaps, the very end) but it does lead you by the nose.

“It’s a rhyme. Trade one secret for another. Admit what happened to your brother. No one leaves until it’s done. Come on, friends, won’t this be fun?”

They’ve been warned. No leaving before the end of the game.

Small but significant items (that may or may not be theirs) are discovered with several the group. Their unseen enemy setting them up, time and again, causing a sense of deep unease and mistrust between them all.

Liked: The author manages to hide quite a bit beneath the surface of the story and an abundance of twists keep you guessing. The pace was good, it stayed pretty steady and engaging throughout, then picked up at the end. How this book managed to be both predictable and unexpected is beyond me.. but it was done well.

Disliked: All of the characters, well, excluding the dead ones.. they seemed nice. And I do get it. They’re supposed to be unlikeable but, wow, these people are a piece of work.

The predictability was also a tad annoying and I would’ve liked more originality but, all around, I don’t have too many complaints here.

(Everyone thinks they’d never commit murder.)
And I’d say, even if you wouldn’t get in trouble?
And you’d shake your head and talk about morals or throw in God for good measure.
And I’d say, isn’t fear of getting in trouble with God fear of getting in trouble?

Well, that’s that! I would recommend this for anyone looking for a dark and twisty murder mystery. Is it something new? No. But it is an interesting read.

What’s the most original story you’ve read this year?