A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

'A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.'

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2024; Thomas & Mercer; 978-1662520334
audio, ebook, print (495 pages); psychological thriller

A Very Bad Thing is an intense suspense novel.  It's a long book but that didn't slow me down.  I had to find out who did what and even though there were a lot of misleading clues, the reveal of the killer didn't happen until the last few pages and I never saw it coming.  

Columbia is an author and her books are so good that they've created an almost cult following.  She is on a book tour and asks Riley, a newspaper reporter, to join the tour and interview her for a column and a possible memoir.  All goes well on tour until Columbia sees someone in the audience that she recognizes and she faints and is taken to the hospital.  She's soon sent back to her hotel.  The next morning Riley finds Columbia dead and covered in blood when she goes to do her final interview.  At first, Columbia's only daughter Darian points the finger at Riley as the murderer.  But doesn't Darian have reasons for getting rid of her mother?  And how about the stranger who has been showing up at all of the tour stops and stalking Columbia on social media?  It turns out that there are a lot of people who would like to see Columbia dead - but who is the real murderer? and how many people are killed as they try to get back at Columbia for things in their past.?  This book will keep you turning pages as you constantly change your mind about who the murderer really is.

I have read several books by this author and in my opinion, this is her best book yet.  It's full of secrets that are slowly revealed.  The suspense level is very high and the story is a real roller coaster ride.  It's full of clues that are often pointed at the wrong person and you have no idea of who the murderer is until the very end.  The characters are very well written.  My favorite character was Riley.  She was a newspaper reporter who was always looking for the next big story but also was kind and empathetic towards other people.  This is a book that you don't want to miss.

Buy A Very Bad Thing at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

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