About the Book

"Marshall recalls Stephen King's ability to set a story in the world of the commonplace, then suddenly jolt it into a more hellish realm."--New York Times" Bad things have always happened in Black Ridge, Washington--and Michael Marshall, the acclaimed, bestselling, Phillip K. Dick Award-winning author of The Intruders "("Scary brilliance" --Baltimore Sun") and Straw Men "("Brilliantly written and scary as hell" --Stephen King), lets readers experience all the exceptional nastiness. Marshall's Bad Things "is an electrifying combination of psychological suspense, mystery, horror, and paranormal activity that no fan of ingenious, intelligent thrillers will want to miss.

Book Synopsis

"Marshall recalls Stephen King's ability to set a story in the world of the commonplace, then suddenly jolt it into a more hellish realm."

--New York Times

Bad things have always happened in Black Ridge, Washington--and Michael Marshall, the acclaimed, bestselling, Phillip K. Dick Award-winning author of The Intruders ("Scary brilliance" --Baltimore Sun) and Straw Men ("Brilliantly written and scary as hell" --Stephen King), lets readers experience all the exceptional nastiness. Marshall's Bad Things is an electrifying combination of psychological suspense, mystery, horror, and paranormal activity that no fan of ingenious, intelligent thrillers will want to miss.

From the Back Cover

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Intruders and The Straw Men comes a nerve-shattering story of guilt, secrets, and very, very . . . bad things

On a beautiful summer afternoon, John Henderson watched his four-year-old son, Scott, tumble from a jetty into the lake outside their Black Ridge, Washington, home. In an instant, Scott Henderson had simply, inexplicably . . . died.

Three years later, John is a different man--divorced, living a solitary existence in a beach house in Oregon. Then one night he receives a disturbing e-mail message from a stranger. It reads: I know what happened.

It's enough to pull him back to Black Ridge--the one place on earth he'd hoped never to return to, unwittingly unleashing a terrifying sequence of events that threatens to destroy what remains of everything he once held dear.

A relentlessly thrilling novel of psychological suspense, Michael Marshall's Bad Things is a masterwork of chill-inducing brilliance that will keep the reader guessing right through to the final page.

Review Quotes

Keeps readers guessing with twisting plot . . . adrenaline-paced...addictive." - Cleveland Plain Dealer on THE INTRUDERS
"This is a psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you up at nights." - Arcadian Lifestyle
"taut action and appealing characters" - San Francisco Chronicle
"Fast-moving, sinister and highly accomplished...This is ferocious story-telling of the highest order, with corkscrew twists and turns that make it deliciously scary as the secrets unfold." - Daily Mail (London) on BAD THINGS
"A genuinely scary thriller with satisfyingly malevolent villains." - The Sun Herald (Sydney) on BAD THINGS
"Marshall builds up suspense slowly . . . Black Ridge - like the Maine towns populated by Stephen King's characters - is not a place you want to visit." - Booklist on BAD THINGS
"This spooky tale shows Marshall...has a knack not only for the frisson of dread but also the telling psychological insight." - Publishers Weekly on BAD THINGS
"Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O'Connell's tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars." - www.BookReporter.com on BAD THINGS
"A well-constructed, terrifying story. . . . The Intruders is so good, readers will be compelled to check out [Marshall's] 2002 novel, The Straw Men, which Stephen King called 'a masterpiece.'" - USA Today
"A nerve-wracking story full of bizarre twists. . . . Mr. Marshall recalls Stephen King's ability to set a story in the world of the commonplace, then suddenly jolt it into a more hellish realm. He also has some of Mr. King's ability to rivet attention with eerie surprises." - Janet Maslin, New York Times on THE INTRUDERS
"A masterpiece . . . brilliantly written and scary as hell." - Stephen King on STRAW MEN
"A jaw-dropping mystery that makes a hairpin turn on nearly every page." - Entertainment Weekly (Grade A, EW "pick") on THE INTRUDERS
"Fluid blend of crime and horror. . . . Pervasive creepiness." - New York Daily News on THE INTRUDERS
"Potent, character-driven thriller about personality manipulation and brainwashing. . . . Subtle, satisfying--and really scary." - Kirkus Reviews on The Intruders
"The pacing is excellent, the plotting brisk. . . . Scary brilliance." - Baltimore Sun on THE INTRUDERS